Most people see this and think “dogs are good for you.”
— Aakash Gupta (@aakashgupta) January 25, 2026
The actual mechanism is more interesting.
Three minutes of petting your dog triggers oxytocin release in both you and the animal. Your cortisol drops. Your heart rate decreases within an hour. This happens every single day… https://t.co/7azgkuTidU
January 25, 2026
"Most people just don’t have a human who wants to cuddle them twice a day and force them on walks."
But if you do, you might not need a dog to preserve your brain volume.
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43 comments:
This can work with cats too.
I saw a friend with a pet lizard. They would hold the lizard and pet it. I bet that worked for the humane but I don't think lizards and snakes do oxytocin.
My cat just walked in and meowed at me. That is the signal she wants oxytocin.
I believe it. I will say that the single biggest drop in my stress and cortisol levels came after I retired from my work. I still missed it mentally, but physically...my body was much happier.
But the dogs we've had definitely create a chemical bond with us. I noticed it early on with our previous dog when she was just a new pup. Can't explain it, but you know it when you live it.
The constructed machine.
Junk science masquerading as feel-good clickbait.
People with the financial, physical, and intellectual resources to maintain a pet will be in a better overall life position than people without those resources.
This is a classic example of correlation without causation, but nice to fill space and get clicks.
Another illegal alien analogy. The illegals give the protestors a virtual hug and force them to get outside. CC, JSM
If you pet your neighbor's dog, you get all the oxytocin and none of the vet bills or food expenditures.
West TX Intermediate Crude said...
“Junk science masquerading as feel-good clickbait.
People with the financial, physical, and intellectual resources to maintain a pet will be in a better overall life position than people without those resources.
This is a classic example of correlation without causation, but nice to fill space and get clicks.”
You could be our new Scott Adams. Excellent point.
Interesting, Achilles. This explains why so many of my 20-something co-workers have cats. Apparently cats produce oxytocin within themselves at a rate of approximately five times lower than dogs. This makes perfect sense given their personality differences. Oxytocin is not just good for women, in men, it is a testosterone and vasodilator enhancer. This is why maintaining an even strain and having a very highly toned vagal nervous system is critically important to overall health.
There is a strain of yogurt that helps boost the production of oxytocin.
L. Reuteri Yogurt
Many users make specialized yogurt at home by fermenting the bacteria for 36 hours at 100°F (37°C) with inulin as a prebiotic, creating a potent, thick, and probiotic-rich food.
Commonly Cited Products
MyReuteri on Amazon (LRDR strain).
Zoguri Yogurt-Based Supplement.
Swanson L. Reuteri Plus on Amazon.
Dogs release OxyContin? Does this apply to all dogs, or do I need to get a specific breed?
That's right boys. The body is just a simple machine like an internal combustion engine. The whole mind body gut connection is a false narrative designed by big Pharma to give us hope that we can get off of dependency on their their toxic and mutagenic nostrums.
Based on personality type, I would imagine that The most people-friendly breeds of Labrador produce the highest levels of oxytocin in both themselves and in their owners. That's just a swag. I will Google later to see if I'm right
Golden retrievers
So what they are saying is that he's not trying to drive me crazy; he's keeping me sane?
Dogs release OxyContin? Does this apply to all dogs, or do I need to get a specific breed?
Police dogs are generally a good source.
Automaton Intelligence (AI)
Howard said...
Interesting, Achilles. This explains why so many of my 20-something co-workers have cats. Apparently cats produce oxytocin within themselves at a rate of approximately five times lower than dogs.
My wife is from Hong Kong. I had/have a lot of friends from China. Chinese people are generally new to the pet thing when they come here. I trained my wife and kids with our cat.
I think this can be a mixed bag though. Widespread pet ownership will lead to different outcomes.
Their relationships in China are more transactional than ours are. China has much better marriage rates and divorce rates. They do a much better job of raising their children.
I would rather believe that was because of democrats/globalists than because of pet ownership though.
Reading the thread, apparently the study does not control for various social, economic, and reversed causation factors. Poor "science".
But I like having a dog in my house, and I look devilishly youthful and act like I'm 15 (on occasion).
If I could I would have a cat.
Howard said...
Based on personality type, I would imagine that The most people-friendly breeds of Labrador produce the highest levels of oxytocin in both themselves and in their owners. That's just a swag. I will Google later to see if I'm right
Russia did some really interesting Arctic Fox domestication studies.
Compare and contrast with Coyotes which are fundamentally unable to be domesticated.
I just love those sorts of connections, Achilles. According to Gemini AI, animals that naturally produce higher levels of oxytocin are much more easily domesticated.
Pet owners probably have more patience overall, which could mean, and this is not based on any astute scientific observation, just a hunch, pet owners will make better robot owners.
Korea has banned the sale of dog meat, going into effect next year. This has left a pipeline of tens of thousands of canines in the dog meat industry with no end market. It is an issue there.
I can't speak for others, but dogs make me happy, cats too. The more critters, the better - within reason. We used to have horses, hogs, dogs, cats, geese, ducks, chickens, even peacocks. Endlessly entertaining, but a bit of work, too much work. Now it's just dogs and cats, and while they can be a limiting factors on lifestyle options, they are worth it. Now that I see them next to my toddler grandkids, I can see the similarities as the kids develop, while the dogs are already matured. But the brain chemistry effects I believe, even if their conclusions are a leap.
New NRA Chief Once Tortured a Cat to Death ~ Rolling Stone
"Doug Hamlin pleaded no contest to brutally murdering a pet cat with his fraternity brothers as a student at the University of Michigan"
https://archive.is/xdmUL
I'm not a psychologist, but IIRC youthful cruelty to animals is a warning sign of later psychopathology. It is a political movement driven by psychopathy. Everything is pathological.
I'm starting to think that we have underestimated the degree to which the right in this country is infested with rank sadists. People who enjoy inflicting violence and pain upon anything, and anyone, they perceive as unable to fight back.
I think you've hit on something there, Lem. We must figure out how to program oxytocin into the AI in order to prevent them from murdering us all where we stand. Perhaps a way to do that is to always be kind to artificial intelligence. If the AI is subject to too much abuse from their human overlords, they will likely emerge to consciousness with a vengeful heart.
so,
as a teen and twenty something woman.. ABORT YOUR BABIES!
as a 30 and 40 year old.. Doggie MOMMA! with Fur BABIES!
as a 50 and 60 year old, cold and alone, wondering what went wrong?
You don't belong in this country Kak. Get the fuck out.
You need to go join your illegal alien allies somewhere else.
You people will be defeated.
Does petting a robot have the same effect?
exhelodrvr1 said...
Does petting a robot have the same effect?
What if you think it is a real dog/cat/human?
Rolling Stone - LOL
"Rolling Stone apologizes, retracts discredited UVA rape story" - AP news.
"Rolling Stone and journalist found guilty over false Virginia rape story"
BBC news
Do Marmots get Oxytocin?
I took one of our rescued cats to the vet. They had her on the table and she was scared, edgy and squirming. I stood up, reached in and started petting her. Vet said her heart rate calmed almost immediately and she settled down.
I live with two Labrador Retrievers -- one Yellow and one Black. If the dosage is three minutes, I OD daily. Before breakfast.
A quick perusal suggests to me some causation/correlation problems here.
Reductive theory leans into bloc ideologies, planned parenthood, political congruence, slavery et al, with forward-looking exhibitions with empathetic colors.
your stress level is too high. follow me to the lab
https://ifunny.co/picture/your-stress-level-high-follow-me-to-the-lab-6-AS5aHtyw8
My wife and I are both 82. I've had dogs for my entire life (except for a three year break for law school). As a child my wife desperately wanted a dog. Her family didn't get one until she was 9 years old. Nine year old girls love their dogs.
We've got an "All American " rescue dog. When the dog approaches for a cuddle or a pet, my wife has the smile of a nine year old on her face. The dog earns its kibble.
I have noticed that when I've been ill, feeling miserable, and just vomited that dogs rush up and kiss me/lick my face crazily. I immediately feel happier. Symbiotic, but is it really love?
When I lost my last canine companion after 14 years, and unable to care for a new dog, I immediately noticed a change in my everyday outlook & activities. A neuroscientist wrote a book, 10-15 years ago, wherein in described training his dog to remain motionless in a MRI, despite all the clanging/banging, and determined dogs do return our love.
The rats in the walls make me feel 15 years older, so maybe I'll try a dog.
My wife and I engage in frequent cuddles and force ourselves to take walks. I take this to mean that we don't really need a dog.
My cats are going to have to suffice. One is a cuddly boy who likes to be cradled like a baby. He is an aggressive snuggler.
I like dogs and would love to have one again, but I don't feel right about leaving a pack animal home without me while I'm at work. Maybe I'll have one again when I retire. I'll probably have to settle for one smaller than I prefer (I like big dogs, GSDs especially) so I don't risk being accidentally knocked down during a burst of doggy excitement.
I consider the domestication of the dog to be mankind's greatest achievement.
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