Human-animal bonds reduce physiological stress markers

Simply petting a companion animal like Seamus triggers the release of oxytocin while actively lowering heart rate and circulating cortisol levels in humans. This bio-feedback is critical for unwinding, much like Sleep consolidation is critical for memory formation.¹¹

Footnotes

1. Beetz, A., et al. (2012). Psychosocial and Psychophysiological Effects of Human-Animal Interactions. Frontiers in Psychology. ↩ ↩²