Spending just 10 minutes stroking a cat or dog can significantly reduce stress, say scientists

New research has revealed that spending just 10 minutes stroking cats or dogs can significantly reduce your stress level.

We already knew that students liked interacting with animals and that it helped them to experience more positive emotions.

Professor Patricia Pendry

US scientists shared their latest findings, which show how much ownership of a pet could have many health benefits, over time, through a reduction in the stress hormone.

Researchers at Washington State University studied 249 students because they interacted differently with animals. For the study, the students were divided into groups, the first being able to pet, play and interact with cats and dogs for ten minutes.

The next group was invited to queue to pet the animals while watching the first group. They were invited to do so without their cell phone or any other reading material. The third group was invited to watch a slide show of animals, while a fourth group was put on waiting list.

The researchers collected saliva samples from each participant at different times of the day, starting in the morning upon waking. The team discovered that cortisol, a stress hormone, had significantly decreased in those who spent only 10 minutes with animals.

"The students in our study who interacted with cats and dogs experienced a significant reduction in cortisol, a major stress hormone," said Patricia Pendry, Associate Professor in the WSU Human Development Department.

The study, published in the journal AERA Open, is the first to demonstrate a reduction in student cortisol levels during a real intervention, rather than in the laboratory.

"We already knew that students enjoyed interacting with animals and that it helped them to experience more positive emotions," said Professor Pendry. "What we wanted to know was if this exposure would help students reduce their stress in a less subjective way, which was the case."

She added: "It's exciting because reducing stress hormones can, over time, have beneficial effects on physical and mental health."