The rush for a pandemic pet during lockdown in 2020 made a big difference for their owners as long as they bought a dog, according to a study at James Cook University.
Comparing dogs to cats, the canines came out in front for being a positive influence on their humans.
The mental health benefits, and a well-being boost, are probably a result of the behaviour of the dogs -- they enjoy exercise, they like to socialise and they demonstrate affection with enthusiasm.
In the advertising industry, known for office dogs as chronicled in the AdNews magazine series, Dog of the Month, many achieved dog ownership during the depths of the 2020 pandemic, among them Willie Pang of GroupM whose dog Obi is pictured here.
The latest study looked at people living alone during lockdown. Jessica Oliva, a lecturer in psychology at James Cook University, led a study that surveyed nearly 400 living alone -- a risk factor for depression and anxiety -- in lockdown.
Researchers are starting to understand mindfulness -- the ability to keep the mind attending to what is occurring in the present moment -- and how it may help against depression, anxiety and stress.
“We wanted to find out whether interactions with pets were associated with higher levels of mindfulness in their owners, and whether this also protected them against loneliness – and a government-mandated lockdown that exacerbated social separation was a good opportunity to investigate this,” says Dr Oliva.
However, this latest study showed pet interactions were not associated with higher mindfulness scores, or lower levels of loneliness, but there were differences between cat and dog owners.
“Simply owning a dog did appear to buffer the effects of loneliness in some way,” she says.
“For dog owners, more so than cat owners, an important aspect of this was the existence of a physical connection ... being able to touch and feel another living creature in the house.”
Both dog and cat owners mentioned the importance of the pet as an excuse to talk out loud, which has been shown to improve concentration and performance on cognitive tasks.
Dog owners demonstrated enhanced awareness and mindfulness but, contrary to expectations, cat owners were found to be less mindful than those without a cat or dog.
A possible reason is that cat owners could just be less mindful people as a group. These owners have in past studies have been show to have similar traits.
For example, in tests cat people score significantly higher on neuroticism than dog people, who tend to be more social and outgoing.
“Dog owners also had two themes that were unique to them: that their dogs encouraged them to take them for a walk and offered them an opportunity to socialise with other people,” says Dr Oliva.
“Both walking and socialising are positive in terms of mental health.”
The findings suggest that the increased demand for pets during lockdown may offer no additional benefit than going outside for a walk or striking up a conversation with neighbours.
“But the results do suggest, however, that dogs might be wonderful catalysts for these activities,” she says.
The research is published in the International Journal of Social Psychiatry.
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