Artificially elevated oxytocin concentrations in pet dogs are associated with higher proximity-maintenance and gazing towards the owners

Pedretti, Giorgio; Wirobski, Gwendolyn; Range, Friederike; Marshall-Pescini, Sarah

doi:10.1016/j.physbeh.2021.113451

Cited by 8 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 85 publications

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“…OT also alleviates negative consequences of isolation in humans ( Pfundmair & Echterhoff, 2021 ). In animal experiments, urinary OT concentrations following IAO are positively associated with dogs’ duration of social proximity and looking towards their owners ( Pedretti et al, 2021 ). As a whole, OT can promote social behaviors directly or indirectly.…”

Section: Higher Brain Functionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Neural Functions of Hypothalamic Oxytocin and its Regulation

Wang

Liu

et al. 2022

ASN Neuro

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Oxytocin (OT), a nonapeptide, has a variety of functions. Despite extensive studies on OT over past decades, our understanding of its neural functions and their regulation remains incomplete. OT is mainly produced in OT neurons in the supraoptic nucleus (SON), paraventricular nucleus (PVN) and accessory nuclei between the SON and PVN. OT exerts neuromodulatory effects in the brain and spinal cord. While magnocellular OT neurons in the SON and PVN mainly innervate the pituitary and forebrain regions, and parvocellular OT neurons in the PVN innervate brainstem and spinal cord, the two sets of OT neurons have close interactions histologically and functionally. OT expression occurs at early life to promote mental and physical development, while its subsequent decrease in expression in later life stage accompanies aging and diseases. Adaptive changes in this OT system, however, take place under different conditions and upon the maturation of OT release machinery. OT can modulate social recognition and behaviors, learning and memory, emotion, reward, and other higher brain functions. OT also regulates eating and drinking, sleep and wakefulness, nociception and analgesia, sexual behavior, parturition, lactation and other instinctive behaviors. OT regulates the autonomic nervous system, and somatic and specialized senses. Notably, OT can have different modulatory effects on the same function under different conditions. Such divergence may derive from different neural connections, OT receptor gene dimorphism and methylation, and complex interactions with other hormones. In this review, brain functions of OT and their underlying neural mechanisms as well as the perspectives of their clinical usage are presented.

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Section: Higher Brain Functionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Neural Functions of Hypothalamic Oxytocin and its Regulation

Wang

Liu

et al. 2022

ASN Neuro

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“…It is likely possible that both of these influence each other. Proximity seeking in dogs can be related by both sociability/affiliation and insecurity/stress alleviation [ 62 , 79 ]. Existing evidence shows that owners report more shared activities with dogs that are likely to be more stress susceptible, for example, dogs scoring higher in neuroticism [ 61 ] or have high basal cortisol levels [ 57 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In turn, yawning may bear communicative function as proposed for body shaking; these greeting behaviors may act as reinforcers of the social bond [ 77 ]. Indeed, during affiliative interaction with humans yawning has been associated with a positive emotional state and attentive behaviors [ 17 , 30 , 79 , 83 ]. These behaviors may be a calming mechanism for dogs, and hence signs of relief rather than stress [ 26 , 84 , 85 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dog–Owner Relationship, Owner Interpretations and Dog Personality Are Connected with the Emotional Reactivity of Dogs

Somppi

Törnqvist

Koskela

et al. 2022

Animals

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We evaluated the effect of the dog–owner relationship on dogs’ emotional reactivity, quantified with heart rate variability (HRV), behavioral changes, physical activity and dog owner interpretations. Twenty nine adult dogs encountered five different emotional situations (i.e., stroking, a feeding toy, separation from the owner, reunion with the owner, a sudden appearance of a novel object). The results showed that both negative and positive situations provoked signs of heightened arousal in dogs. During negative situations, owners’ ratings about the heightened emotional arousal correlated with lower HRV, higher physical activity and more behaviors that typically index arousal and fear. The three factors of The Monash Dog–Owner Relationship Scale (MDORS) were reflected in the dogs’ heart rate variability and behaviors: the Emotional Closeness factor was related to increased HRV (p = 0.009), suggesting this aspect is associated with the secure base effect, and the Shared Activities factor showed a trend toward lower HRV (p = 0.067) along with more owner-directed behaviors reflecting attachment related arousal. In contrast, the Perceived Costs factor was related to higher HRV (p = 0.009) along with less fear and less owner-directed behaviors, which may reflect the dog’s more independent personality. In conclusion, dogs’ emotional reactivity and the dog–owner relationship modulate each other, depending on the aspect of the relationship and dogs’ individual responsivity.

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“…Therefore, we need to focus on how the human-pet relationship can be enhanced, so that humans as well as pets can derive as much benefit from it as possible. A variety of studies have shown the relevance of oxytocin in mammal social behavior and emotional regulation (Kis et al 2014 ; Pedretti et al 2021 ; Somppi et al 2017 ). In taking the human-dog interaction and communication as an example, dogs learn from the interaction with humans (Barrera et al 2018 ), so pet owners should frequently interact with their dog and provide them learning opportunities for enhanced communication.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“Furry tales”: pet ownership’s influence on subjective well-being during Covid-19 times

Damberg

Frömbling

2021

Qual Quant

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The social distancing required during Covid-19 times tended to make people feel lonelier than usual. Those with pets might, however, have experienced this less, because pets are known for fostering their owners’ subjective well-being. Building on a recently published structural equation model, our study enhances the understanding of subjective well-being by including the construct social distancing during Covid-19 times. In order to answer our research question—How does human-pet relationship need support influence subjective well-being by considering social isolation during Covid-19 times?—we build on the basic needs theory, assuming that humans as well as their pets have an inherent need of autonomy, relatedness, and competence. Using a multivariate data analysis method, namely partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM), we establish a path model and examine the relationship between human-pet relationship need support and subjective well-being by including psychological distress and social isolation during Covid-19 times as mediators. We operationalize subjective well-being as a three-dimensional construct consisting of positive affect, happiness, and life satisfaction. In a sample of 215 pet owners in the USA, supporting their need increases subjective well-being, and decreases the psychological distress and loneliness caused by social isolation during Covid-19 times. Furthermore, psychological distress decreases subjective well-being, whereas perceived loneliness during Covid-19 times does not. Our main contributions are to not only enhance our knowledge on the importance of human-pet relationships in critical times, but also to provide policy makers with insights into what influences people’s subjective well-being, which is closely related to their psychological health.

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Artificially elevated oxytocin concentrations in pet dogs are associated with higher proximity-maintenance and gazing towards the owners

Cited by 8 publications

References 85 publications

Neural Functions of Hypothalamic Oxytocin and its Regulation

Neural Functions of Hypothalamic Oxytocin and its Regulation

Dog–Owner Relationship, Owner Interpretations and Dog Personality Are Connected with the Emotional Reactivity of Dogs

“Furry tales”: pet ownership’s influence on subjective well-being during Covid-19 times

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