Latest news with #EötvösLorándUniversity
New York Post
a day ago
- Health
- New York Post
Sorry, Fido: New evidence suggests pet ownership may not be as beneficial to health as we thought
Your furry friend might not be the answer to a ruff life. Canine companionship has long been touted as a remedy for people seeking comfort and connection, particularly when pandemic-era lockdowns kept millions apart. But new research suggests that even in times of extreme social isolation, having a pet doesn't always improve well-being — and sometimes, it makes it worse. Advertisement 5 Studies show 65.1 million American households own at least one dog. – The study analyzed data from nearly 3,000 Hungarians, collected over several months in 2020 by researchers at Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest. Among the participants, 65 acquired a pet while 75 lost one, prompting the team to examine how these changes affected their well-being over time. The results? Not exactly tail-wagging. Advertisement Researchers found new pet owners experienced a short-lived boost in cheerfulness after bringing a dog home — but that initial high didn't last. Over time, their calmness, life satisfaction, cheerfulness and activity levels dropped. 5 Interacting with a dog has previously been shown to lower levels of cortisol, the body's stress hormone. Svetlana – Advertisement 'What surprised me most was that new pet in the household had no effect on the respondents' loneliness,' Judit Mokos, a data scientist and one of the paper's first authors, said in a statement. 'Our research suggests that dogs do not provide a real solution to loneliness; rather, they make the new owners more anxious,' she added. Even more surprising: losing a pet didn't affect the well-being of their former owners. Advertisement 'It appears that, at least during stressful periods, the average person, who may not be the primary caregiver but simply shares a household with the pet, is not significantly affected by the pet's loss, nor is their well-being a strong predictor of the decision to acquire one,' said Ádám Miklósi, who initiated the data collection on companion animals. These findings cast doubt on earlier studies suggesting dog ownership offers a wide range of health benefits, including reducing stress and anxiety, building social connections, increasing physical activity and lowering blood pressure and cholesterol. 5 Research suggests the companionship of dogs isn't a complete replacement for human social interaction. yurakrasil – 'Based on the data, most people living together with a companion animal do not seem to experience any long-term 'pet effect,' nor do they bond strongly with their animal,' said Eniko Kubinyi, head of the MTA-ELTE 'Momentum' Companion Animals Research Group. 'It is possible that the dynamics of the pandemic have led many to make impulsive choices against their long-term interest, or that only certain groups — like devoted animal lovers or older adults living alone — truly benefit from pets in stressful times,' she added. The loneliness epidemic Loneliness became a bigger problem during the coronavirus pandemic, but studies suggest half of American adults had already experienced it before the outbreak. 5 Millions of Americans are affected by depression, anxiety and other mental health challenges. Tinnakorn – And the social fallout didn't end when lockdowns did. Research shows that many people, especially teens, young adults and seniors, continued to spend more time at home and less time socializing than before the public health crisis. Advertisement In fact, a 2024 study by the American Psychiatric Association found that 30% of adults felt lonely at least once a week last year, with 10% battling loneliness every single day. That's a bigger problem than many realize. Studies show chronic loneliness can increase the risk of premature death as much as 15 cigarettes a day. It's linked to heart disease, stroke, cognitive decline, inflammation and a weakened immune system. Loneliness is also strongly associated with depression, anxiety, stress and low self-esteem. Advertisement In 2023, then-Surgeon General Vivek Murthy declared that 'loneliness, isolation, and lack of connection in our country' are an 'epidemic' and a 'public health crisis.' 5 The loneliness epidemic has affected older adults in particular. Angelov – At last year's Aspen Ideas Festival, Murthy shared three simple daily actions to help Americans rebuild their social connections. Advertisement First, spend 15 minutes each day reaching out to someone you care about. 'We have built this cultural narrative over the years that success is about being independent and being independent is about not needing anyone,' Murthy said. 'That is something we fundamentally have to change.' Second, when you're with others, shelve distractions and give them your full attention. 'Five minutes of being fully present with someone in conversation is more powerful than 30 minutes of distracted conversation,' he explained. Advertisement Finally, make daily acts of service a priority. 'Service is a very powerful antidote to loneliness, because it not only helps us connect — whether it's in the act of helping one person or helping a community — but it reminds us that we have value to bring to the world,' Murthy said.
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
Pawful news for dog owners: Owning a pooch does NOT make you happier – and can actually make you more anxious, vets say
Most dog owners will proclaim that getting their four-legged friend was one of the best decisions they ever made. But a new study casts doubt on this 'pet effect' - the hypothesised boost in health and happiness for those who surround themselves with cats, dogs and other companion animals. As part of the study, researchers examined the short and long-term effects of getting a new pet during the Covid pandemic. And it's bad news for dog owners – as analysis reveals little support for the romanticised view we hold of 'man's best friend'. While pet acquisition did provide an initial boost to cheerfulness, this only lasted up to four months. And over a longer period, getting a new pet - especially a dog - was actually linked to a reduction in calmness, activity, cheerfulness and life satisfaction. Surprisingly, the researchers also found that losing a pet did not appear to leave a mark on the wellbeing of owners. And they warned that the demands of pet care can 'outweigh initial benefits'. The study involved 65 people who acquired a pet, and 75 who lost a pet, in Hungary during the pandemic. Participants were asked to answer questionnaires on wellbeing over six months, and the scientists compared answers from before and after pets were bought, as well as after any pets died. Judit Mokos, one of the study's first authors from Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest, said: 'What surprised me most was that a new pet in the household had no effect on the respondents' loneliness. 'Dog adoption is often promoted as a solution for elderly and/or lonely people. Shelters and pet food companies promote adoption as a means of alleviating loneliness. 'However, our research suggests that dogs do not provide a real solution to loneliness; rather, they make the new owners more anxious.' The team said one possible reason that the initial boost in cheerfulness is so short-lived is that prospective owners often have strong expectations about the positive impact of living with an animal. For the first few months these initial expectations, combined with the novelty effect of the pet, may 'mask emerging challenges'. 'However, as the novelty fades, unmet expectations and associated difficulties may negatively impact the owner's wellbeing,' they said. Acquiring a cat was also found to negatively impact activity levels, suggesting that new cat owners spent more time at home. However, cat owners remained more active than dog owners, possibly because newly-acquired dogs are more challenging to leave at home compared to cats.' Eniko Kubinyi, another of the study's authors, added: 'Based on the data, most people, living together with a companion animal, do not seem to experience any long-term 'pet effect', nor do they bond strongly with their animal. 'It is possible that the dynamics of the pandemic have led many to make impulsive choices against their long-term interest, or that only certain groups—like devoted animal lovers or older adults living alone—truly benefit from pets in stressful times.' Writing in the journal Scientific Reports the team added: 'These findings challenge the widely held belief that pet acquisition leads to lasting improvements in well-being, suggesting instead that the demands of pet care—especially for dogs—can outweigh initial benefits.' It's possible that vet bills, restrictions on travel and disobedience issues could be behind the anxiety linked to having a dog. Despite the findings previous research, carried out by the same university, has found that dog owners rate their bond with their pet as more satisfying than their relationships with their friends, partners and even their children. A survey of 700 owners revealed that they felt their dog loves them more than anyone else and is also their best source of companionship. A separate study, carried out by the University of Kent, found that having a pet boosts your mood as much as an additional £70,000 a year would. In good news for singletons, the team also found that the benefits of pet ownership are equivalent to those gained from marriage. Dr Adelina Gschwandtner, lead author of the study, said: 'This research answers the question whether overall pet companions are good for us with a resounding 'Yes'. 'Pets care for us and there is a significant monetary value associated with their companionship.' WHAT ARE THE TEN COMMONLY HELD MYTHS ABOUT DOGS? It is easy to believe that dogs like what we like, but this is not always strictly true. Here are ten things which people should remember when trying to understand their pets, according to Animal behaviour experts Dr Melissa Starling and Dr Paul McGreevy, from the University of Sydney. 1. Dogs don't like to share 2. Not all dogs like to be hugged or patted 3. A barking dog is not always an aggressive dog 4. Dogs do not like other dogs entering their territory/home 5. Dogs like to be active and don't need as much relaxation time as humans 6. Not all dogs are overly friendly, some are shyer to begin with 7. A dog that appears friendly can soon become aggressive 8. Dogs need open space and new areas to explore. Playing in the garden won't always suffice 9. Sometimes a dog isn't misbehaving, it simply does not understand what to do or what you want 10. Subtle facial signals often preempt barking or snapping when a dog is unhappy
Newsweek
20-06-2025
- Science
- Newsweek
Dog Makes Feelings Clear When Owner Returns From Holiday Without Her
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. When Charlotte Ward returned from an eight-day trip, she wasn't expecting the reception she got from her Sprocker spaniel dog. In a video on TikTok with more than 456,000 views, Ward shared the moment she returned from vacation and was reunited with her dog—but she wasn't pleased. "When you return from a holiday without your dog and this is the reception you get," the text overlay said. The spaniel, who was left with a friend for eight days, was sitting in the passenger seat in the car, facing away from her owner, refusing to look and clearly upset about her time away. As the video gained more attention on TikTok, people shared their thoughts in the comments. "I love how dramatic dogs are," wrote Megan. Viewer Dean said: "My Marley used to sulk for the first day after we got back." "This was my dog when we got back. Wouldn't cuddle me on the sofa. Just stood there side eyeing me," posted Cookie. How Do Dogs React to Being Left Alone? A 2011 study by researchers from Eötvös Loránd University in Hungary looked into how dogs respond emotionally and behaviorally to being separated from their owners. Canines were placed in an unfamiliar test environment where owners left the room for a period of time, leaving their dog alone. The canines' behaviors were then observed, from pacing and moving around the room to stress-related behaviors such as whining, barking and licking. Researchers recorded how much affection, proximity-seeking, or excitement the dog showed. After this, owners were given a questionnaire to find out how their pets usually behaved when left home alone. Owners noted behaviors including chewing, scratching, barking, howling and even urinating indoors. A picture from the viral video of the dog turning its back to the owner in the car. A picture from the viral video of the dog turning its back to the owner in the car. @charlotteward85/TikTok Dogs labeled more "anxious" or "happy" by owners tended to be more active and stressed when alone during the test and showing more affection when reunited with their owners. While those with suspected separation-related disorder (SRD) are more active and vocal when alone and often displayed behaviors such as pacing, barking and destructive tendencies. Despite this, their greetings weren't necessarily more affectionate than the other dogs, indicating that emotional responses don't always equate to more joy when being reunited. This isn't the first time a dog has shared clear upset after their owner returned home. In 2024, people were left in stitches when Snow the golden retriever refused to acknowledge his owners after they returned from vacation. Newsweek reached out to @charlotteward85 via TikTok for comment. Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@ with some details about your best friend, and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup. References Konok, V., Dóka, A., & Miklósi, Á. (2011). The behavior of the domestic dog (Canis familiaris) during separation from and reunion with the owner: A questionnaire and an experimental study. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 135(4), 300—308.
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
When Letting Your Mind Wander Helps You Learn
While you do the dishes or drive to work, your mind is likely not on the task at hand; perhaps you're composing a grocery list or daydreaming about retiring in Italy. But research published in the Journal of Neuroscience suggests you might be taking in more than you think. During a simple task that requires minimal attention, mind wandering may actually help people learn probabilistic patterns that let them perform the task better. 'The idea to study the potentially beneficial influence of mind wandering on information processing occurred to us during the COVID pandemic, when we had plenty of time to mind wander,' says Péter Simor, lead author of the recent study and a psychology researcher at Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest. Study participants practiced a simple task in which they pressed keyboard buttons corresponding to the direction of arrows that lit up on a screen. But there were patterns hidden within the task that the participants were unaware of—and they learned these patterns without consciously noticing them. The researchers found that when participants reported letting their minds wander, they adapted to the task's hidden patterns significantly faster. [Sign up for Today in Science, a free daily newsletter] 'This is an exciting and important piece of work, especially because the authors opted for a nondemanding task to check how [mind wandering] would affect performance and learning,' says Athena Demertzi, a cognitive and clinical neuroscientist at the University of Liège in Belgium. Previous related research focused more on long and demanding tasks, she says—on which zoning out is typically shown to have a negative effect. But the results are not clear-cut, says Jonathan Smallwood, a psychology researcher at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario. 'I don't think that this means the spontaneous mind-wandering episodes themselves cause implicit learning to occur,' he says. 'Rather both emerge at the same time when people go into a particular state.' Neither Smallwood nor Demertzi was involved in the new study. Simor, who studies sleep, was interested in whether participants' mind wandering displayed any neural hallmarks of dozing off. Using electroencephalogram recordings, the team showed that in those test periods, participants' brains produced more of the slow waves that are dominant during sleep. Perhaps, the researchers say, mind wandering is like a form of light sleep that provides some of that state's learning benefits. To better understand whether mind wandering might compensate for lost sleep, Simor and his colleagues next plan to study narcolepsy and sleep deprivation. 'We know that people spend significant amounts of time not focused on what they are doing,' Smallwood says. 'The authors' work is important because it helps us understand how reasonably complex forms of behavior can continue when people are focused on other things—and that even though our thoughts were elsewhere, the external behavior can still leave its mark on the person.'
Scientific American
10-06-2025
- Health
- Scientific American
What a Wandering Mind Learns
While you do the dishes or drive to work, your mind is likely not on the task at hand; perhaps you're composing a grocery list or daydreaming about retiring in Italy. But research published in the Journal of Neuroscience suggests you might be taking in more than you think. During a simple task that requires minimal attention, mind wandering may actually help people learn probabilistic patterns that let them perform the task better. 'The idea to study the potentially beneficial influence of mind wandering on information processing occurred to us during the COVID pandemic, when we had plenty of time to mind wander,' says Péter Simor, lead author of the recent study and a psychology researcher at Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest. Study participants practiced a simple task in which they pressed keyboard buttons corresponding to the direction of arrows that lit up on a screen. But there were patterns hidden within the task that the participants were unaware of—and they learned these patterns without consciously noticing them. The researchers found that when participants reported letting their minds wander, they adapted to the task's hidden patterns significantly faster. On supporting science journalism If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today. 'This is an exciting and important piece of work, especially because the authors opted for a nondemanding task to check how [mind wandering] would affect performance and learning,' says Athena Demertzi, a cognitive and clinical neuroscientist at the University of Liège in Belgium. Previous related research focused more on long and demanding tasks, she says—on which zoning out is typically shown to have a negative effect. But the results are not clear-cut, says Jonathan Smallwood, a psychology researcher at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario. 'I don't think that this means the spontaneous mind-wandering episodes themselves cause implicit learning to occur,' he says. 'Rather both emerge at the same time when people go into a particular state.' Neither Smallwood nor Demertzi was involved in the new study. Simor, who studies sleep, was interested in whether participants' mind wandering displayed any neural hallmarks of dozing off. Using electroencephalogram recordings, the team showed that in those test periods, participants' brains produced more of the slow waves that are dominant during sleep. Perhaps, the researchers say, mind wandering is like a form of light sleep that provides some of that state's learning benefits. To better understand whether mind wandering might compensate for lost sleep, Simor and his colleagues next plan to study narcolepsy and sleep deprivation. 'We know that people spend significant amounts of time not focused on what they are doing,' Smallwood says. 'The authors' work is important because it helps us understand how reasonably complex forms of behavior can continue when people are focused on other things—and that even though our thoughts were elsewhere, the external behavior can still leave its mark on the person.'
