It's no wonder dogs are man's best friend. Though we've been co-evolving for only 15,000 years or so (hardly any time at all in evolutionary terms), our lives are deeply intertwined. Ask any dog lover, and they can tell you that dogs improve the quality of human life. Research backs this up. The ability dogs have to make us feel less alone and reduce our stress has been well-documented. And their kisses can boost the health of the human immune system by way of their saliva which is thought to contain “good bacteria”. Studies have shown that they can even sniff out serious health conditions, such as diabetes and cancer. But there are other amazing ways these cuddliest of companions bring joy to our lives — and specifically to our relationships with other people. Here are just three.
1. Dogs can get you a date — if you're a guy. Research has revealed that people find dog ownership attractive, and this tends to be more true for women than for men. Take a study which surveyed 1,210 individuals who were looking for love online, and had registered with Match.com. The investigators found that women were more sensitive to how men interact with their pets than the converse. This supports the idea that women see the way a man treats his dog as an indicator of what kind of caregiver he will make, whether he's worth dating, and could make for a good long-term partner. Of note, dogs acted as better “social barometers” than did cats in the dating world, perhaps because canines are more social than felines and require more care.
2. Dogs make people nicer. Studies suggest that dogs can encourage humans to socially interact with each other — and in more positive ways. For example, one study which was comprised of four experiments sought to test whether the presence of a dog can promote closer relationships between humans. In the first experiment, a male confederate (i.e., an undercover researcher) asked people for money on the street. Then in the second experiment, a female confederate asked people for money on the street. The third experiment had a male confederate accidentally on purpose drop coins on the ground to see if anyone would help him pick them up. And in the fourth experiment, a male confederate asked young women on the street for their phone numbers. The twist in each of these contrived situations is that the confederate was either accompanied by a dog, or not accompanied by a dog. This allowed the investigators to compare whether the presence vs. absence of a dog influenced human behavior. What did the researchers find? People tended to be helpful in the first three experiments when a dog was present — and the male confederate was more successful at getting women's phone numbers when he had a dog on hand.
3. They can improve your relationship. Couples who have pets (i.e., cats and/or dogs (yes, cats too)) are more likely to be happy in their relationship than those without a furry friend, and are less stressed. Consider research which revealed that couples who have a pet show lower stress levels when dealing with conflicts by comparison to couples who do not have pets. In a study of 100 couples, in which 50 had pets and 50 did not, it was found that couples with pets had lower blood pressure on average. Moreover, in stressful situations blood pressure both rose less and returned to normal more quickly for those with pets as opposed to those without pets. What's more, couples with pets interacted with each other more than non-pet owners. Why might this be so? Social interaction is good for your health. It may be that people who have pets are more likely to be social to begin with — or that pets provide the same benefits as human social interaction.
Find Vinita Mehta's other Psychology Today posts here.
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Vinita Mehta, Ph.D. is a licensed clinical psychologist in Washington, D.C., and an expert on relationships, managing anxiety and stress, and building health and resilience. She provides speaking engagements for your organization and psychotherapy for adults. She has successfully worked with individuals struggling with depression, anxiety, and life transitions, with a growing specialization in recovery from trauma and abuse. She is also the author of the forthcoming book, Paleo Love: How Our Stone Age Bodies Complicate Modern Relationships.
References:
Research presented by Karen Allen, Ph.D. at the American Psychosomatic Society, March 12, 1998.
The Roles of Pet Dogs and. Cats in Human Courtship and. Dating. Anthrozoos, December 2015. Peter B. Gray, Shelly L. Volsche, Justin R. Garciaand Helen E. Fisher.
Domestic Dogs as Facilitators in Social Interaction: An Evaluation of Helping and Courtship Behaviors. Anthrozoos A Multidisciplinary Journal of The Interactions of People & Animals 21(4) · November 2008. Nicolas Guégen and Serge Cicotti.
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