Quick Hits
Daily brief research updates from the cognitive sciences
There have been lots of studies into the positive impacts of having pets around us – but this study just published looked at brain activation patterns while being with a dog, petting a dog, and with an ersatz cuddly toy lion.
The research showed that brain activation patterns were highest when petting dogs – unsurprising because this was the most interactive condition in the study. The researchers saw increased activity in the prefrontal cortex and notably in the medial prefrontal cortex which is associated with human social functions.
More surprisingly was that the cuddly toy elicited smaller responses – obvious you may think but in this study the cuddly toy was filled with a hot water bottle to be at the same temperature as a live dog and to have a similar fur texture. This was to elicit a response as close to the real thing as possible.
The response was lowest for the cuddly lion (but it did elicit a response) – possible because of the social activation as we realise it is not a live animal.
What was also interesting is that the response for petting the dog lingered on for a lot longer than any of the other conditions.
This shows that the response is not only in the moment but also has a lasting impact – that’s one reason to have pets but also an important consideration in animal assisted clinical therapy.
Andy Habermacher
Andy is author of leading brains Review, Neuroleadership, and multiple other books. He has been intensively involved in writing and research into neuroleadership and is considered one of Europe’s leading experts. He is also a well-known public speaker, speaking on the brain and human behaviour.
Andy is also a masters athlete (middle distance running) and competes regularly at international competitions (and holds a few national records in his age category).
References
Rahel Marti, Milena Petignat, Valentine L. Marcar, Jan Hattendorf, Martin Wolf, Margret Hund-Georgiadis, Karin Hediger.
Effects of contact with a dog on prefrontal brain activity: A controlled trial.
PLOS ONE, 2022; 17 (10): e0274833
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0274833
More Quick Hits
Breastfeeding Improves Mother’s Cognitive Abilities — Years Later
Quick HitsDaily brief research updates from the cognitive sciences o are you saying that breast feeding is not only good for the infant but also the mother?!Yes, we’ve know for a long, long time that breastfeeding is very good for the infant. Over...
Mothers Can Pass on Stress to Future Generations
Quick HitsDaily brief research updates from the cognitive sciences presume you’re not just talking about stressed mothers stressing out their kids and/or grandchildren?Not precisely. I’m talking about passing on stress activation patterns in DNA...
Learning Before Age Five Can be Seen in the Brain Forty Years Later
Quick HitsDaily brief research updates from the cognitive sciences ducation before age five leaves structural changes to the brain, identifiable forty years later — impressive! This is the beauty of long-term longitudinal studies (the negative side...
Exercise in Childhood Predicts Healthy Brains (into Adulthood)
Quick HitsDaily brief research updates from the cognitive sciences k, we all know by now that exercise is good for you. Many of you may also be more than aware that exercise is a potent stimulator for the brain encouraging brain growth and...
The Surprising Truth of Why Powerful People can be Toxic
Quick HitsDaily brief research updates from the cognitive sciences e’ve all heard the stories of toxic bosses, and powerful people who happily destroy other people’s lives, and show no compassion to those less fortunate than themselves. There is a...
Leadership Behaviours for More Resilient and Effective Teams
Quick HitsDaily brief research updates from the cognitive sciences hat makes for effective and resilient teams is something that interests many leaders and organisations. I have spoken about some of these aspects in other articles, particularly...