Oxytocin – Oxytocin Blog – Oxytocin Research and News

Owners of dogs have been found to be both happier and healthier than non- dog owners.  Children brought up in dog owning families are better adjusted and have a greater moral sense of ‘mutuality’ than children raised in non-dog owning families.  Could oxytocin be the reason why?

According to researchers at the University of Japan, dog owners experience a surge in the hormone oxytocin after periods of playing with their dogs or simply being gazed at by them. Oxytocin has been nicknamed the “cuddle chemical” for the role it plays in the mother-child bond. It produces positive, warm feelings and because it’s a serious stress reducer – it dampens down the area of the brain associated with anxiety – may also help explain the myriad health benefits associated with dog ownership.

More at : Why owning a dog is good for you

Research published in the scientific journal ‘Hormones and Behaviour’ suggests that the gaze of a pet dog can raise levels of oxytocin in the owner’s brain.

in­ter­ac­tions with dogs, es­pe­cially those in­i­ti­at­ed by the dog’s gaze, can in­crease the uri­nary [ox­y­to­cin] con­centra­t­ions of their own­ers as a man­i­festa­t­ion of at­tach­ment be­hav­ior.”

Read more about how puppydog eyes trigger oxytocin in owners.