It was a podcast that caught my attention, talking about the correlation between stressed human owners and their stressed pets.

They were interviewing an animal naturopath and pet whisperer, and one of the statements that really stood out in the podcast was when the naturopath mentioned that it’s easier for humans to care for their pets than to spend that same time and money caring for themselves. It’s a fact backed by many social science studies; the natural affection we feel for animals can be compared to the affection we feel for our children. We impulsively care for them and desire to help them because they are unable to help themselves easily. We don’t seem to extend this unconditional love to ourselves as readily. The podcast interviewee went on to say that the downside of this pet—human empathic relationship was how, in times of stress, many pets take on their owner’s stress. The stressed pet can then exhibit behaviour issues or even illness.

Researchers proved this hypothesis by analysing the hair of dogs and their owners and assessing both dog and owner personalities through standardised personality questionnaires. Researchers measured the hormone cortisol in the hair of dogs and their owners over a year-long period.

Cortisol is a measure of physiological stress, which can be raised during mental distress. Hair cortisol is a good way of measuring long-term trends in stress levels, as hair grows slowly and absorbs circulating substances from the blood. The results showed a significant correlation between human and dog cortisol levels across the year, and for these dogs, their cortisol levels rose and fell in unison with their owners’. This correlation was not influenced by dog activity levels or dog personality but was influenced by owner personality. Owners with higher stress levels tended to have dogs with higher stress levels too. According to this naturopath, this study applies to pet cats as well.

Animals are sentient beings and they can experience both positive and negative emotions, such as pleasure, comfort, fear, and anxiety. The impact we have on our pets’ stress levels goes both ways - positive and negative. If we reduce our own stress levels, it’s likely we will also reduce our pets’ stress levels.

So, if you find it too hard to work on decreasing your stress levels for your own sake, perhaps you will do it for your pet. Come to yoga and learn to chill out. My little dog Smudge is a yoga/meditation addict. He’s always first on my yoga mat and can’t get close enough to anyone meditating. He basks in that meditative energy field, instinctively knowing how good this healing energy is. And of course, try exercising in nature. That daily walk is good for you and very good for the mental health of your pet.

Margot Wagner
Yoga Under the Bodhi Tree

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