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Reports a study which suggested that dogs help increase their
owners' interaction with strangers. Testing on how the physical
appearance of the dog and owner affected the number of interactions;
Comments from June McNicholas, co-author of the study.
By Amy Wilson published July 1, 2000 - last reviewed on June 9, 2016
Looking to fill up your social calendar? Consider getting a dog.
Two new studies in the British Journal of Psychology suggest that dogs
help increase their owners' interaction with others, making them more
happy overall.
In the first study, a woman walking a dog through her daily routine
recorded the number and quality of interactions she had with others. The
results showed that the woman interacted with significantly more people
than normal when accompanied by a dog, and particularly by more
strangers.
To test how the physical appearance of the dog and owner affected
the number of interactions, the researchers studied a man dressed in
either a suit or torn jeans while walking a dog wearing either a matching
collar and leash or a studded collar and frayed rope. The dog's
appearance had little effect, but the man interacted with others 790
percent more than usual when wearing jeans and 1,000 percent more when
wearing a suit.
Despite their findings, June McNicholas, Ph.D., the study's
co-author and a University of Warwick psychology professor, doesn't
suggest getting a dog just to enhance your social life. "If the dog is
seen as a chore, owning one won't be a positive experience," she
says.
