(410) 343-9756 (Baltimore) | (410) 910-9660 (Columbia) | (240) 780-8884 (Silver Spring)

Psychology Blog

The Human-Animal Connection; it does a body (and brain) good!!

Studies have been done for years regarding the physical and mental health effects petting a dog has on humans. However, the realm of pet-assisted therapy is still in its infancy. As researchers learn how and why our bodies respond the way they do when we interact with dogs, the evidence will get more difficult to refute, and dogs may start to appear in more doctors and therapists’ offices.

 

  • In 1995, Erika Friedman at the University of Maryland Hospital conducted a study involving 392 people, which found that heart attack patients with dogs were eight times more likely to be alive a year later than people without dogs.
  • In 1999, the State University of New York at Buffalo conducted a study involving 24 stock brokers taking medication for high blood pressure. The researchers found that adding a dog or cat to the stock brokers’ lives helped stabilize and reduce their stress levels.
  • In 1999, Swedish researchers reported that children exposed to pets during the first year of life had fewer allergies and less asthma.
  • Recently, separate studies reported that walking a dog contributed to a person’s weight loss and that dog walking can be a catalyst for social interaction with other people, a benefit that can help improve our sense of well-being — or even help us meet a future spouse.

 

More recently, research conducted at the University of Missouri-Columbia suggests the hormonal changes that occur when humans and dogs interact could help people cope with depression and certain stress-related disorders. Preliminary results from a study show that a few minutes of stroking our pet dog prompts a release of a number of “feel good” hormones in humans, including serotonin, prolactin and oxytocin.

 

In addition, petting our dog results in decreased levels of the primary stress hormone cortisol, the adrenal chemical responsible for regulating appetite and cravings for carbohydrates. The study does state that getting a dog may not completely replace the need for anti-depressants altogether; however the combination of the two may be the most powerful.

 

And we can’t give all the credit to our four-legged friends…..

 

Just within the past week the results from the first study of its kind, reports that exposure to fish in an aquarium also has a influential effect on mood. Experts from the National Marine Aquarium, Plymouth University and the University of Exeter assessed people’s physical and mental responses to tanks containing varying levels of fish. The team found that viewing aquarium displays led to noticeable reductions in blood pressure and heart rate, and that higher numbers of fish helped to hold people’s attention for longer and improve their moods.

 

Deborah Cracknell, PhD Student and Lead Researcher at the National Marine Aquarium, conducted the study and believes it provides an important first step in our understanding: “Fish tanks and displays are often associated with attempts at calming patients in doctors’ surgeries and dental waiting rooms. This study has, for the first time, provided robust evidence that ‘doses’ of exposure to underwater settings could actually have a positive impact on people’s wellbeing.”

 

If you are fortunate enough to have a dog or a home aquarium, you may already intuitively know these things that researchers are working diligently to empirically prove. However, if you do not have a furry or finned friend, perhaps this may give you incentive to consider an addition to your family.

2024-02-28T18:30:07-05:00August 3rd, 2015|Anger, Children Therapy, Human Behavior, Psychology, Relationships, Stress|
Read More

Is How You Vote Linked To How Happy You Are?

A new study published in March’s issue of Science  (Https://www.sciencemag.org/content/347/6227/1243.short) suggests that our political views and happiness are linked. Interestingly, the researchers found that people who lean conservative tend to report greater levels of life satisfaction/happiness when asked directly, while those who lean liberal behave in ways that suggest that they are happier (for instance, have more positive posts on social media and display more genuine smiles in photographs).

Why might this be – differences in how people wish to present themselves to others, differences in definitions of happiness, differences in political ideology or…? The research is too new to answer that question conclusively, but the results point to the difficulty of defining happiness for different individuals and the importance of using multiple sources of data to draw conclusions. So who is really happier, your or your differently politically inclined father-in-law? Unfortunately, no one can claim full bragging rights yet, but perhaps the article will bring up some interesting dinner conversation!

2024-02-28T18:30:11-05:00May 28th, 2015|Anger, Human Behavior, Psychology, Uncategorized|
Read More

It Starts At Home

In March, we celebrate Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day; a time dedicated to recognize and honor the contributions that women have made throughout the history of our country. It is also a time to be mindful of the strong female influences of today and a time to raise our collective consciousness about what we all can do to support women and girls in our society. President Obama was quoted in his State of the Union address last year, “A woman deserves equal pay for equal work.” It was one of the most loudly applauded lines of his speech. He went on to state, “Today, women make up about half our workforce, but they still make 77 cents for every dollar a man earns.” This year, President Obama included the need for paid maternity leave and high quality, affordable child care in addition to reiterating the need for equal pay for equal work.

 

A recent study by the Association of Psychological Sciences brings to light one small thing that can happen in our households that may assist us in knowing what to do on a family level to bring President Obama’s words to fruition, and make all the trailblazing women of history proud. The study suggests a correlation between households that not only “talk the talk about gender equality, but actually walk the walk.” Something as simple as daughters observing their father do the dishes and share other household chores demonstrates gender equality in the household. The article’s author is quoted saying, “This study is important because it suggests that achieving gender equality at home may be one way to inspire young women to set their sights on careers from which they have traditionally been excluded.” If we truly want to raise strong, independent daughters who aspire to be successful leaders in all different fields, it begins at home. This study shows us that it does not matter how much money we make, where we live, what our culture or beliefs are – but rather, we are able to demonstrate gender equality as a healthy household example from which to spring our daughters forward.

 

It has long been known that having fathers in our daughter’s lives has significant physical and mental health benefits, and now this study is giving us concrete actions to take above and beyond just “being” in their lives. The author of the article says it succinctly, “Despite our best efforts to create workplace equality, women remain severely under-represented in leadership and management positions. How fathers treat their domestic duties appears to play a unique gatekeeper role.” It is dependent on all of us to help our women and girls succeed. So, during this month of March let us all be more mindful of demonstrating gender equality wherever possible to improve the quality of life for the next generation of strong women leaders.

2024-02-28T18:32:06-05:00March 9th, 2015|Children Therapy, Couples, Human Behavior, Marriage, Parenting, Relationships|
Read More

Anxiety Increases Risk of Alzheimer’s Disease in People with Mild Cognitive Impairment

Anxiety can increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease for those individuals with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), according to researchers at Baycrest Health Sciences’ Rotman Research Institute in Toronto. Scientists looked at a sample of 376 adults with MCI, ages 55-91, every six months over a three-year period. They used neuroimaging to analyze brain structural changes. They found that for MCI patients with mild, moderate, or severe anxiety, Alzheimer’s risk increased by 33 percent, 78 percent, and 135 percent respectively. Additionally, the researchers found that MCI patients who had reported anxiety over the follow-up period had more atrophy in the medial temporal lobe – the area responsible for creating memories and an area of the brain that is often associated with Alzheimer’s disease. (American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, online October 29th, 2014)

This is a fascinating study that links anxiety to an increased risk of Alzheimer’s. What the study does not specifically address is whether anxiety treatment for these individuals would reduce their risk for developing Alzheimer’s or perhaps slower its development. Perhaps this area will be addressed by future research.

 

2024-02-28T18:30:28-05:00February 22nd, 2015|Aging, Memory, Stress|
Read More

Unsupportive Spouse Increases Risk for Depression

According to a University of Michigan study, having an unsupportive spouse can significantly increase the risk of depression. The study analyzed ten years of data from nearly 5000 adults. Researchers found that the quality of people’s relationships with a spouse, predicted the likelihood of depression, regardless of how often their social interactions took place. Individuals with strained relationships were significantly more likely to develop depression , whereas those without a spouse were at no increased risk at all. People with the lowest quality relationships- characterized by a lack of support and social strain- had more than twice the risk of depression than those with the best relationships. (PLOS ONE, April 30th)

I wonder if this is a big surprise to people? Relationships and connections with others are the “fuel” of our emotional well-being. We are born with innate need to connect and feel emotionally safe with others. When that is threatened by an unsupportive relationship then it almost has to create a sense of emptiness, which can lead to a depression. I would be curious to hear what others have to say on this matter. Please place your comments and thoughts in the space provided below.

2024-02-28T18:32:00-05:00July 11th, 2014|Couples, Marriage, Relationships|
Read More

Happily Married Couples Are More Likely To Gain Weight

Researchers at Southern Methodist University tracked 169 newlyweds for four years, checking in twice a year to assess weight, height, marital satisfaction, stress, and steps towards divorce. They found the happier the couple was in the marriage the more weight they gained. This was in contrast to couples that were less happier, who tended to gain less weight over the course of the study (Health Psychology, Online March 11)

I’m curious as to what others think about this study. It has always been my impression that individuals fall into one of three groups as it relates to stress/depression and appetite/weight change- increased appetite/weight gain, decreased appetite/weight loss, and no change at all (symptoms may show in other areas e.g. insomnia). What is it then about marital stress that tends to trigger weight loss? Is it that these partners are choosing to control their weight because they are thinking of divorce and they choose to lose weight in order to be more appealing and attractive for their next partner? Or should the focus be on those that are married and their weight gain and that when someone finds satisfaction in their marriage they can begin to appreciate the person more for who they are and less for their figure? I would be interested in hearing what other readers have to say.

Please use the “comments” space below this blog to write your thoughts. Also if you found this blog interesting, please go ahead and sign up below for a free email subscription to this blog.

2024-02-28T18:31:12-05:00June 12th, 2014|Couples, Marriage, Relationships|
Read More

Test-Taking Improves Learning In People Of All Ages

Do you think that you remember and learn better when you know that you will be tested on that material? Have you ever been required to study and memorize an abundant amount of information and wonder whether it would be helpful to take practice exams (assuming that practice exams were available)? In a recent article from the the online journal “Psychology and Aging” it described a study where researchers led by a psychologist with the Houston Veterans Affairs designed a study to answer this questions. The study included 60 college students, 60 younger adults, and 60 older adults. They were given 15 minutes to study and read materials on four different topics.
They then took a multiple choice test on two of the topics and were told which questions they incorrectly answered. Then the participants restudied the topics the test had not covered and took an exam on all four of the topics, either later that day or a couple of days later. The researchers found that adults of various ages improved their retention of new information when they were tested and graded on the material compared to when they only restudied the material.

2024-02-28T18:30:53-05:00May 21st, 2014|Coaching, Exercise|
Read More

Grumpy Old Men and Women May Live Longer

Who would have linked being grumpy and longevity together. According to a research from the University of Erlangen-Nuremburg in Germany, grumpy old men and women may live longer. Scientists examined data on expected and current future life satisfaction that was collected over a 10 year period from nearly 40,000 people. They discovered that people who have low expectations for their future happiness experience less disability and die later than those who tended to overestimate their future happiness. The implications are that people who are more pessimistic about their future, may take more safety and health precautions. So perhaps the factor is being pessimistic, or better yet, more realistic than grumpy.

2024-02-28T18:30:45-05:00May 3rd, 2014|Human Behavior, Psychology|
Read More
Go to Top