Study shows dogs can smell your stress

By
Web Desk
|
September 29, 2022

Researchers used samples from cases where a subject's heart rate or blood pressure was increased and four dogs were to then...

A woman with her pet dog.— Unsplash

A new study has revealed that dogs can smell stress and researchers believe the finding can help train therapy and service dogs to better detect when the owner is upset.

Researchers collected body samples like breath and sweat from people who had recently completed a math test. The subjects reported their stress levels before and after the test.

The team used samples from cases where a subject's heart rate or blood pressure was increased and four dogs were to then sniff them.

Findings published in the journal PLoS ONE showed that each dog was able to recognise the stressed-out subject's smell.

Clara Wilson, a PhD student in the School of Psychology at Queen’s University Belfast, explained in a media release that the results also showed that dogs can sniff stress from people they don't even know.

“The research highlights that dogs do not need visual or audio cues to pick up on human stress."

She added that the study helps understand the relationship between dogs and humans even better.



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