by Mark DeNicola, Collective-Evolution
You don’t need me to tell you that dogs are wonderful (but I’ll tell you anyway). Aside from babies and cat videos there are few things in this world capable of bringing instant cheer more than a friendly and loving dog.
What truly sets them apart for me is that, good day or bad, they always look at you the exact same way and love you just as unconditionally as they always have. While some may attribute that love to the condition that you feed and care for them, which obviously plays a role, it’s still a form of love that we as humans often have a difficult time embodying.
It appears that the love and connection that dogs share with their owners runs even deeper than we had ever imagined. A recent study done by Pedigree Pet Foods in conjunction with Monash University in Australia revealed that dogs not only have a positive impact on our health, but that we as owners can have a positive impact on theirs as well.
Within the study, both owners and their dogs were connected to heart rate monitors when separated and then when reunited to track exactly what happened. The results were truly astonishing, as not only did both heart rates lower when united, but they actually began to mimic one another, too.
Pedigree created a short video titled Hearts Aligned documenting the experiment, as well as telling the story of each of the pairings involved:
As the video revealed, this positive correlation further proves that owning a dog has the potential to not only reduce blood pressure, but also decrease cholesterol levels and our risk of heart disease as a result.
Mia Cobb, the canine expert who helped run the study, told The Huffington Post, “This project is a really good illustration of what most owners experience every night when they come home from work and are reunited with their companion.”
This powerful experiment certainly isn’t the first time that a remarkable connection was shown between dogs and humans, but it is the first to reflect the mimicking behaviour.
A study out of the University of Lincoln and the University of Sao Paulo, for example, revealed that dogs can actually read human emotion and show empathy in response to it, while another study from the Hungarian Academy of Science’s Eotvos Lorand University showed just how similar the human brain is to that of a dog.
To take this already remarkable study to another level, Pedigree has agreed to donate $1 to PetRescue for every share that the official video receives on Facebook with the #HeartsAligned. Take this simple opportunity to help create positive change and to also celebrate any and all of the dogs in your life.
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Need more reasons to love dogs? Check out any of these related stories:
Man Takes His Dog On Epic Adventures: This Is Why Dogs Are The Best Travel Buddies
Amazing Disability Assistance Dog Warns Owner Of Seizure 15 Minutes Before It Happens
The Telepathic Dog Who Knew When His Owner Was Coming Home
Abandoned Dog Travelled 4 Miles Every Night – So They Finally Followed Her
SOURCES
http://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/2016/05/01/benefits-of-dogs_n_9802616.html
