Anxiety-Reducing Effect: Dog, Fish and Plant in Direct Comparison

Abstract

Animals have an anxiety-reducing effect on humans. However, in the search for which interventions are the most effective, one notices that studies in this field are not comparable as they all use different designs. Hereby, we investigated the anxiety reducing abilities of different animals and a plant using a public speaking task with identical set-ups and measures in all conditions. After speech anxiety was induced in university students (n = 71), they were presented with either a dog, a fish, a plant, or were left alone (control condition) for an intervention phase of 5 minutes. Anxiety measures were taken at five different points throughout the testing procedure. When comparing the participants' levels of anxiety before and after the intervention, we found that all students showed reduced anxiety levels in the experimental conditions, with no differences among the types of intervention, while no such effect was found for participants in the control condition. Our results not only demonstrate a new perspective in research on animal-assisted activities by presenting a more systematic and analytic approach to research in this field, but more importantly, they confirm the necessity for research guidelines for animal-assisted activities across the different disciplines involved, and question the unique importance and necessity of the involvement of animals in interventional practice.Animals and plants are part of people's daily lives, and it is impossible even in major cities to walk around without seeing plants on balconies or people taking their dogs for a walk. Although several theories exist to explain the importance of human-animal relations (Wilson 1984;Grinde 2002) and the possible advantages of a good relationship between people and companion animals, for example, for the social, emotional, and cognitive development in children (see Endenburg and van Lith 2011 for a review), very little is known empirically about the influence of animals and plants on human emotions. Nevertheless, animal-assisted activities are being introduced into a wide range 267 Anthrozoös

The effects of interacting with fish in aquariums on human health and well-being: A systematic review

“…Sixteen studies involved novel interactions with fish in aquariums, however, four of these related specifically to public aquariums so are discussed separately below. Of the twelve remaining studies, three involved student or trainee samples [62,63,68] and nine involved clinical populations, specifically: residents of specialised dementia units [54,64,65], dental patients [85], electroconvulsive therapy patients [53], hospitalised patients awaiting heart transplantation [83], older adults [60,84], and adolescents with type 1 diabetes mellitus [86]. One study also explored how staff were affected by the intervention [54].…”

“…Two studies were conducted in university laboratories [62,68], one in a purpose-built laboratory in a housing complex [84], one in a hospital waiting room but under laboratory conditions [63], two in participants’ homes [60,86], and six in clinical or therapeutic settings [53,54,64,65,83,85]. Design of studies included before-and-after studies [54,83]; controlled before-and-after studies [63]; interrupted time series with [64] or without [65] control groups; within-subjects or crossover studies [53]; between-subjects studies with [68,84,85] or without [60,62] randomisation; and a pilot randomised control trial [86]. Where comparators were used they included no treatment or usual care controls, viewing alternative stimuli such as posters, and interacting with other animals (see Table 2 for further details).…”

“…Early research indicated a link between viewing fish in aquariums and benefits such as reduced blood pressure and increased relaxation [58–60], perhaps contributing to the widespread notion that aquariums are beneficial in healthcare settings [61]. More recently, research has linked interaction with fish in aquariums to outcomes such as reduced anxiety [62], increased tolerance to pain [63], and improvements in nutritional intake and body weight among residents of specialised dementia units [64,65]. As with HAI research more broadly, the mechanisms underlying these benefits are unclear.…”

A framework for understanding how activities associated with dog ownership relate to human well-being

“…It is not surprising that the most frequently reported activities to impact on well-being in this study, have also been reported to be important in previous investigations. Physical interactions with dogs, for example, have been shown to decrease stress [38][39][40][41] , anxiety [42][43][44] and fear 45 , and increase feelings of positive valence 15 . Being greeted by the dog is suggested to provide comfort and positive feelings for owners 46 .…”

The secret life of pets: The intersection of animals and organizational life

“…Animals can also be incorporated into organizations as an ancillary aspect of the organizations. For example, the offices of dentists and doctors often include fish tanks in their patient waiting areas, and previous research has shown that having a fish tank might decrease stress for patients (Buttelmann & Römpke, 2014). In addition, some hotels have dogs that greet customers, which can be a good idea because previous research has shown that petting animals can increase satisfaction and reduce stress (Wells & Perrine, 2001).…”