Emotional connection is known to play a crucial role in human relationships, strengthening bonds and enhancing communication. Similar dynamics have been observed in the bond between humans and dogs, yet little was previously understood about the physiological processes involved. A recent study by the University of Jyväskylä’s Department of Psychology and the Jyväskylä Center for Interdisciplinary Brain Research has revealed that the emotional synchronization between a dog and its owner is mirrored in their heart rate variability, offering insights into how physiological responses contribute to this unique interspecies relationship.
Heart rate variability (HRV) refers to the variations in time intervals between heartbeats, reflecting the activity of the autonomic nervous system. High HRV typically indicates a relaxed and restorative state, whereas low HRV is often linked to heightened stress or stimulation, such as during intense physical exertion or moments of mental strain. By examining HRV in both dogs and their owners, the researchers aimed to explore whether emotional states could be synchronized through physiological responses, beyond what is typically expected in human-dog interactions.
In this study, published in Scientific Reports, researchers found that the HRV levels of dogs and their owners tended to synchronize during specific tasks and periods of rest. When a dog owner displayed high HRV, their dog’s HRV also increased, suggesting that when one is calm, the other mirrors that state. The study also monitored the activity levels of both the dogs and their owners, revealing that they adapted to one another’s activity patterns during interaction tasks.
The synchronization between HRV and physical activity levels was assessed in controlled interaction tasks. Interestingly, while both HRV and activity levels between the pairs showed a degree of interconnection, they were most closely aligned at different times. During periods of free rest, a relaxed state in the owner (indicated by high HRV) was mirrored by the dog, suggesting that without external activity demands, the dogs were particularly responsive to their owners’ emotional states. Meanwhile, during active tasks like play, the dogs and owners shared similar activity levels, but these activity-based connections appeared independent of the emotional synchronization measured through HRV.
These findings support the idea that emotional alignment is reflected in physiological markers like HRV, independently of physical activity levels. Aija Koskela, a doctoral researcher involved in the study, suggests that the heart rate synchronization observed during resting periods may reflect an unmediated emotional connection, with both dog and owner able to naturally respond to each other’s calm state.
The researchers further explored factors that might influence HRV in dogs and owners. They found that larger dogs tended to have higher HRV, an observation consistent with general animal physiology where size can influence heart function. Additionally, the HRV of dogs was influenced by their owner’s temperament—specifically, an owner’s tendency toward negative affectivity, a trait associated with sensitivity to negative events. Owners with higher levels of negative affectivity often form close emotional bonds with their dogs, which may have enhanced the dogs’ sense of safety and emotional attachment, particularly in breeds like shepherd dogs that have historically been bred for close human cooperation.
An unexpected aspect of the study was the degree to which a dog’s HRV influenced its owner’s HRV. Even when accounting for factors like the owner’s physical activity and body mass index (BMI)—both known to impact HRV—the dog’s HRV was the strongest predictor of the owner’s HRV. This finding suggests that dogs may have a more profound effect on their owner’s emotional and physiological state than previously understood.
Study leader and Academy Research Fellow Miiamaaria Kujala emphasized the innovative nature of the research setup, which simultaneously tracked the HRV and activity levels of both dogs and their owners. Previous studies in this field often focused on one species alone, but this dual-species approach provides a more nuanced understanding of their interaction, allowing researchers to see how these connections form and respond in real-time.
These findings suggest that the emotional states and physiological responses of dogs and their owners become partially synchronized, echoing mechanisms that support human attachment. The same physiological and emotional feedback loops that foster attachment between humans also appear to enhance the human-dog bond, shedding light on why dogs are so attuned to their owners’ feelings and how they can provide emotional support.
This research involved 30 volunteer dog-owner pairs, focusing on breeds that are particularly responsive to human signals, such as sheepdogs and retrievers. This choice aligns with past studies indicating that dogs bred for cooperative tasks tend to be more sensitive to their owners’ personalities and emotions, which may amplify the effects observed in this study. Moving forward, the research team plans to further examine these dynamics and identify the specific mechanisms underlying this emotional and physiological synchrony.
Ultimately, this study enriches our understanding of the unique bond between humans and dogs, suggesting that dogs may indeed be more emotionally in tune with us than previously thought. These insights into human-animal connection could have implications for fields like therapy and emotional support, potentially guiding future studies on how to enhance the human-dog relationship for therapeutic and supportive benefits.
Source: University of Jyväskylä