An experimental study focusing on mindfulness to capture how our contacts with dogs can promote human well-being
Abstract Pet ownership per se has not been reliably associated with increased human well-being and health. Furthermore, the specific psychological mechanisms and behavioral dynamics through which the presence of pets could yield higher human wellness remain under-investigated. Conducted among dog ow...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-00872-z |
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| author | Catherine E. Amiot Mylène Quervel-Chaumette Christophe Gagné Brock Bastian |
| author_facet | Catherine E. Amiot Mylène Quervel-Chaumette Christophe Gagné Brock Bastian |
| author_sort | Catherine E. Amiot |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Pet ownership per se has not been reliably associated with increased human well-being and health. Furthermore, the specific psychological mechanisms and behavioral dynamics through which the presence of pets could yield higher human wellness remain under-investigated. Conducted among dog owners and their dogs, the current experiment investigates if a specific psychological factor – i.e., mindfulness – activated in the presence of one’s dog increases dog owners’ psychological well-being. The study also explores which affiliative and synchronization behaviors manifested within the human–dog dyad are associated with higher human well-being. A within-participants design was employed among 52 dog owners and their dogs. The mindfulness condition was found to have a positive impact on dog owners’ well-being. This condition also generated more affiliative and synchronization behaviors among both owners and their dogs on a majority of behaviors, with some of these behaviors (i.e., frequency the dog initiated contact with their owner; duration the owner communicated with their dog) mediating the associations between the mindfulness induction and the well-being outcomes. These findings confirm the importance of investigating the psychological and behavioral factors which, when activated and manifested within human–dog relationships, promote human wellness as well as interspecies interactivity. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-bb6bea945783495da96539c7d9c4be9c |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj-art-bb6bea945783495da96539c7d9c4be9c2025-08-20T03:45:26ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-07-0115111710.1038/s41598-025-00872-zAn experimental study focusing on mindfulness to capture how our contacts with dogs can promote human well-beingCatherine E. Amiot0Mylène Quervel-Chaumette1Christophe Gagné2Brock Bastian3Département de psychologie, Université du Québec à MontréalDépartement de psychologie, Université du Québec à MontréalDépartement de psychologie, Université du Québec à MontréalMelbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of MelbourneAbstract Pet ownership per se has not been reliably associated with increased human well-being and health. Furthermore, the specific psychological mechanisms and behavioral dynamics through which the presence of pets could yield higher human wellness remain under-investigated. Conducted among dog owners and their dogs, the current experiment investigates if a specific psychological factor – i.e., mindfulness – activated in the presence of one’s dog increases dog owners’ psychological well-being. The study also explores which affiliative and synchronization behaviors manifested within the human–dog dyad are associated with higher human well-being. A within-participants design was employed among 52 dog owners and their dogs. The mindfulness condition was found to have a positive impact on dog owners’ well-being. This condition also generated more affiliative and synchronization behaviors among both owners and their dogs on a majority of behaviors, with some of these behaviors (i.e., frequency the dog initiated contact with their owner; duration the owner communicated with their dog) mediating the associations between the mindfulness induction and the well-being outcomes. These findings confirm the importance of investigating the psychological and behavioral factors which, when activated and manifested within human–dog relationships, promote human wellness as well as interspecies interactivity.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-00872-zHuman-Dog relationsPsychological well-beingMindfulness |
| spellingShingle | Catherine E. Amiot Mylène Quervel-Chaumette Christophe Gagné Brock Bastian An experimental study focusing on mindfulness to capture how our contacts with dogs can promote human well-being Scientific Reports Human-Dog relations Psychological well-being Mindfulness |
| title | An experimental study focusing on mindfulness to capture how our contacts with dogs can promote human well-being |
| title_full | An experimental study focusing on mindfulness to capture how our contacts with dogs can promote human well-being |
| title_fullStr | An experimental study focusing on mindfulness to capture how our contacts with dogs can promote human well-being |
| title_full_unstemmed | An experimental study focusing on mindfulness to capture how our contacts with dogs can promote human well-being |
| title_short | An experimental study focusing on mindfulness to capture how our contacts with dogs can promote human well-being |
| title_sort | experimental study focusing on mindfulness to capture how our contacts with dogs can promote human well being |
| topic | Human-Dog relations Psychological well-being Mindfulness |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-00872-z |
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