The Brilliance of Pets for our Minds
In my work as a neuroeducator, I come across stories about our miraculous mind that fire my curiosity. Every week, I share my thoughts about how to work smart to amplify your organic potential, develop a growth mindset, and foster your brain health. I hope you enjoy them! (scroll down to read more)
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In the week following International Dog Day, I have been reflecting on our interaction with the world outside ourselves. Emotional intelligence is a key factor in professional and personal success, but I am not sure we give our pets credit for the role they play in our mental and social health.
I have witnessed many kinds of therapy that are highly successful with animals and I don’t think we are taking full advantage of its benefits. The role of animals in equine therapy, service dog partnerships, and even childhood reading programs where kids read to furry buddies have huge success where traditional therapies fail.
Many are constrained by no pet rental policies, too much travel, allergies, and an aversion to pet hair, but most avid pet owners will rave about the benefits despite the fur balls under the couch. I grew up with horses and dogs, and have taken refuge in their doe-eyes more than once. As a parent I had to travel extensively and felt it unfair to get a pet, so we found a compromise and fostered service dogs in training. They were rescued dogs screened for the program and each got basic training at the prison dog training program before being specifically trained for individuals by experts at the facility. Over time, we fostered over 30 dogs and they were always thrilled to get out of the kennel and into a real home. I kept hoping for a dog that could help with laundry, but most simply would hand me things when I got the “dropsies.” Watching my children interact with them was magical.
Animals are Emotional Weathervanes
Horses are incredibly intuitive and I have come across evidence that indicates we may have a stronger cognitive resonance with animals than has been recognized. Research on social groups like bats and mice have piqued the interest of researchers about the synchrony of brain waves in social groups. While brainwave research is expanding, we also know that dogs will pick up chemical and physiological cues from people that creates a type of empathy referred to as emotional contagion.
“Studies have shown that dogs can catch our yawns, experience an increase in cortisol levels when they hear a baby crying—just as humans do—and respond to the emotional tone of our voices. “ (Colino, Oct 2021)
Dogs read our body language, facial expressions, and use their sense of smell to detect diabetes and possibly epilepsy in their owners. Several of the dogs I fostered were trained to alert sources of help for veterans who were suffering from severe PTSD.
“A study in a 2018 issue of the journal Learning & Behavior found that dogs respond to human faces that express six basic emotions— anger, fear, happiness, sadness, surprise, and disgust—with changes in their gaze and heart rate.” (Colino, Oct 2021)
Horses are utilized as therapy animals in family counseling to detect subtle undercurrents in the dynamics of relationships and cue the counselor about subconscious reactions that indicate emotional undercurrents. It is also clear that many people respond more positively to animals than people when working through challenges because of the unconditional nature of animal affection.
I spoke with the mother of an autistic child at a conference who explained that equine therapy was by far the most effective intervention for her son. She told me he came home from school excited about being able to smile at a friend successfully. In his explanation, he pictured the face of his horse when looking at her and was able to make eye contact without a meltdown for the first time.
We are just learning the science behind the brilliance of pets for our mental health, which verifies what many of us have already experienced. To me, it is validation that we have many resources outside of ourselves that improve our lives if we choose to take advantage of them.
So the next time that furry snout nudges you while you are finishing your quarterly report or your cat prances across your keyboard, take a moment to indulge in the oxytocin released to calm your mood as you pet that silky hide.
They may be sensing your need to take a break, unapologetically.
