By scanning the brains of mothers who are also dog owners, researchers show that babies and pets evoke similar responses in brain areas linked to emotion and reward. The study, published in PLOS ONE this week, suggests that dog owners really do love their pups like their babies.
So, all joking aside, how closely does the human-pet relationship mirror the parent-child bond? A team led by Massachusetts General Hospital’s Lori Palley and Luke Stoeckel investigated differences in how certain brain structures are activated when women viewed images of their children and of their dogs. "Levels of neurohormones like oxytocin -- which is involved in pair-bonding and maternal attachment -- rise after interaction with pets, and new brain imaging technologies are helping us begin to understand the neurobiological basis of the relationship, which is exciting," Palley says in a news release.
The team recruited 16 women with at least one child aged two to 10 and one pet dog who’s been part of the household for at least two years. Participants completed several questionnaires asking about their relationships with their kid and their pooch, who were both photographed in their own homes.