Interacting with pets is supposed to reduce blood pressure in their owners, according to the media and the pet industry. How much support does this claim have in the published literature? The answer is ‘not quite’. Research led by Jillian Teo on the biology of the human-animal bond was recently conducted by an Australian research team. The results of their study were published in the International Journal of Psychophysiology. Systolic, diastolic, and arterial blood pressure decreased in only 23 of the 62 blood pressure studies. In 31 of the studies, there was no effect on the three measures. In eight, there was a mixed result, such as an increase in systolic blood pressure but no change in diastolic blood pressure. Most studies indicated that human-dog interactions may have a positive impact on an individual’s autonomic nervous system in approximately one-third of the studies.
