Can Emotional Support Animals Change Your Mood?

Animal lovers know all too well the warm feelings attached to interacting with a pet. Their playful and loving nature is captivating, infectious and in the case of emotional support animals, can cheer you up immediately. Now, for the first time, we have research to confirm this.

A study conducted by the University of Toledo has published the first empirical evidence that emotional support animals benefit patients suffering from countless maladies. From PTSD to ADHD and many mental health conditions, animals can alleviate stress and lessen symptoms.  

The study followed patients referred by their mental health providers who met low income and risk of isolation criteria, testing regularly to adjudicate levels of anxiety, depression, and loneliness prior to adopting their emotional support animal.    

At the end of the 12-month study, patients reported significantly decreased levels of loneliness. In addition, researchers observed higher amounts of the bonding hormone oxytocin and lower amounts of the stress hormone cortisol after 10 minutes play with their pets.  

Oxytocin, or the love hormone, functions as a neurotransmitter in the brain, controlling aspects of the reproductive system, caregiving, and bonding, and plays an important role in maintaining relationships and emotional connections.

Cortisol, the so-called stress hormone, controls your mood and affects your motivation. Raised levels of cortisol increase fear and can trigger your fight-or-flight responses. Major depressive disorders, panic attacks, PTSD and phobias benefit from anything that lowers cortisol.

Loneliness and isolation can be crippling, and emotional support animals provide positive physical contact which boosts dopamine levels. Feeling good doesn’t stop at petting. Dogs require walks outdoors, increasing sociability, and looking after any pet brings a sense of purpose.

Although researchers are careful not to make sweeping generalisations based on a small set of test subjects, these findings indicate that emotional support animals can play a vital role in mental health therapy.  

Emotional support is not limited to cats and dogs. Rabbits, hamsters, rats, and mice serve equally as well to relieve certain health conditions. Just as a dentist employs a fish tank to ease the stress of the waiting patients, animals balance our emotions and relieve tension.

Next time you connect with your pet, play fetch with a pup, or sit with a cat purring on your lap, watch what it does for your mood. Along with providing companionship, they lighten our spirits and brighten our days.

The study merely confirms what we pet owners knew all along!