A new study from researchers at Japan’s Azabu University may explain why dogs are really seen as man’s best friend and explain the bond between man and his
[Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images]
Another great article picked up by news.smalldogsusa.org:
The truly profound results of this test are exactly the same thing that occurs between mothers and their babies as their bond grows according to the Guardian.
This is animal testing at its finest!
“Urine tests before and after the session revealed that oxytocin levels spiked in people whose dogs stared at them the most. But their dogs experienced a similar effect, with their own oxytocin rising too. When the scientists repeated the experiment with hand-raised wolves, the effect was nowhere to be seen.
They went on to perform a further experiment. This time, the researchers sprayed either salt solution or a dose of oxytocin up the dogs’ noses before watching them in a room with their owners. Dogs that had received the hormone boost stared for longer at their owners, though the effect only stood out in females. Again, tests on the owners found that the longer their dogs gazed at them, the higher their oxytocin levels rose. Why the effect was so vivid in females, but not in males, will become the focus of future research.”
So there really is a scientific explanation why dogs are man’s best friend.
Evan MacLean and Brian Hare at the Duke Canine Cognition Center in North Carolina state that the following regarding the findings, according to the Guardian.
“[The tests] reveal a powerful mechanism through which dogs win our hearts, and we win theirs in return. If they stand up, the implications of these findings are far-reaching… The benefits of assistance dogs for individuals with autism or post-traumatic stress disorder–conditions for which oxytocin is currently being used as an experimental treatment–may arise partly through these social pathways.”
Read more at http://www.inquisitr.com/2016851/science-explains-why-dogs-are-mans-best-friend/#BlvcogjcETbrZfMO.99