Are you more of a dog than a cat person? For the first time, this distinction may end up prolonging your life, according to a recent study.
Every time you cuddle a dog, your brain releases a small amount of oxytocin, the happy hormone associated with hugs and physical affection.
According to a series of studies published in the journal Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, the endorphins released when cuddling a furry little friend are extremely beneficial to heart health. The studies found that owning a dog can be the source of a 21% reduction in the risk of death — over the 12-year period studied — for people with heart disease. This means that if you’ve got a history of heart-related illness, then buying a dog could be an effective cure.
The results of the studies, conducted by Dr. Dhruv Kazi at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Centre and Harvard Medical School, are apparently still to be confirmed. Dr. Kazi proposes that larger research groups need to be attained and studied in a series of controlled tests to strengthen the apparent health connection with dog ownership.
Dr. Kazi says that this supposed health benefit has much to do with the fragmented nature of contemporary Western Society, suggesting that the traits of loyalty and companionship which dogs offer is an increasingly important and rare experience in this day and age.