Dogs are known to be great companions of mankind and now a new study has come out saying they boost mental health and dogdalso help in getting relief from stress.
The dogs were found to have effects on the stress levels, according to the study by Hayley Christian (University of Western Australia) and others from the RMIT University and University of Melbourne. Though many studies have been conducted on dogs and the impact on physical health, it is one of the first studies that have correlated dogs and mental health.
The researchers had examined the effect of dog ownership on mental health for a period over two years. Stating that the dog’s companionship boosted mental health, Christian was quoted as saying that dogs enticed human beings to become more active and also helps in better relationships and also to have more good relationship with others.
The researchers had collected data from a cohort of 1,023 participants. Christian said that the study had its limitations as the sample size was so small and many other factors also had an impact on the mental health, which all should be looked into. . She also pointed out that more studies had to be conducted on the impact of dogs on mental health.
The study has been published in the Journal of Public Health.
