What’s it about dogs that give people warm, fuzzy feelings after we pet them? A latest study sheds light on what happens to the brain when people touch dogs.

For the study, published Wednesday in PLOS (Public Library of Science) ONE, a team of researchers checked out the changes in brain activity when people are available in contact with a dog.

“Although the consequences of contact with animals on human mental and physical health have received increasing attention, the neurophysiological correlates of those effects should not yet fully understood,” the researchers wrote. “These correlates are, nonetheless, highly relevant to understanding the mechanisms underlying human–animal relationship and to designing effective animal-assisted interventions.”

The team conducted an experiment involving 19 participants, who interacted with dogs that were trained to work in a hospital setting. The dogs were of Jack Russel Terrier, Goldendoodle and Golden Retriever breeds.

The participants engaged in multiple sessions: Three with an actual dog and three others with an opulent animal. In these sessions, the participants first viewed the dog or plush toy from a distance (watching), then reclined with animal but weren’t allowed to pet them (feeling), and eventually, they were allowed to pet them (petting).

The prefrontal cortex activity was measured using a non-invasive neuroimaging technology. In addition they checked oxygen saturation percent within the prefrontal cortex and heart rates.

“Prefrontal brain activation in healthy subjects increased with the rise in interaction closeness with a dog or an opulent animal,” the researchers wrote. “Furthermore, interaction with a dog stimulated more brain activity in comparison with the control condition, suggesting that interactions with a dog can activate stronger attentional processes and elicit more emotional arousal than interacting with a nonliving stimulus.”

In other words, the prefrontal cortex activity increased every time the participants interacted with the themes (dog or plush) with increased closeness. Nonetheless, contact with the actual dogs prompted greater activity.

The difference was the biggest when it got here to petting. The results continued even after the dogs had left. Nonetheless, they were reduced when the animals were replaced with a stuffed animal.

“This means that interactions with a dog might activate more attentional processes and elicit stronger emotional arousal than comparable nonliving stimuli,” the researchers wrote.

The prefrontal cortex is not just involved in functions resembling working memory, problem solving and a spotlight, “but in addition with social and emotional processes.” And for many individuals, interacting with animals is “highly emotionally relevant,” so it is sensible that it has elicited such a better response than the plush animal.

While there could also be several explanations, the outcomes of the study could have implications for animal-assisted therapy.

As an example, the researchers noted that a patient with social and a spotlight deficits who displays “emotional involvement” with dog-related activities may gain advantage from such an intervention, as the outcomes of the study imply that physical contact with a well-known dog may “promote social attention in humans.”

“Integrating animals into therapeutic interventions might due to this fact be a promising approach for improving emotional involvement and a spotlight,” the researchers wrote.