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Three minutes with a donkey or mini horse can improve moods
Researchers found teens felt calmer and less lonely after three minutes with rescued miniature horses and donkeys, and reading animal cues deepened the effect.
- Three minutes spent with miniature horses and donkeys improves teenagers' moods, according to research involving 61 participants and a herd including Olivia, Randy, Mary, and Memphis.
- Rebecca Calisi Rodr and her Green Care Lab team instructed half the participants to stroke the animals' backs, while others vigorously scratched their necks to mimic natural grooming behaviors.
- Analysis shows animals wriggled their lips during 75% of neck-scratching sessions, compared to 48% for petting, while they walked away during 89% of petting interactions versus 42% of neck-scratching.
- Teenagers who observed the animals' cues showed bigger reductions in sadness, challenging the assumption that continuous animal engagement always benefits participants, Calisi Rodr noted.
- Published yesterday in Scientific Reports, these findings provide a new framework for animal-assisted interventions at the University of California, Davis, emphasizing animals as active therapeutic participants.
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Total News Sources35
Leaning Left4Leaning Right6Center22Last UpdatedBias Distribution69% Center
Bias Distribution
- 69% of the sources are Center
69% Center
12%
C 69%
R 19%
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