Why do people like petting animals

Pets cost time and money, and nowadays bring little in the way of material benefits. But during the financial crisis, spending on pets remained almost unaffected , which suggests that for most owners pets are not a luxury but an integral and deeply loved part of the family. Why is this the case? It is highly probable that our desire for the company of animals actually goes back tens of thousands of years and has played an important part in our evolution.

As I explore in my new book , there are two problems with these claims. First, there are a similar number of studies that suggest that pets have no or even a slight negative impact on health. Even in the West there are plenty of people who feel no particular affinity for animals, whether pets or no. Why exactly mammals evolved to enjoy caressing is unclear. But the study suggests that stroking hair encouraged good hygiene through social grooming.

It may also explain why certain hair-covered areas of the human body are more sensitive to touch or associated with pleasure. The study was published in Nature Neuroscience. Please enter email address to continue. Please enter valid email address to continue. The mice also showed fewer signs of stress after receiving their chemical pat. So, to recap, furry, hairy animals i. It is mediated by neurons connected to hair follicles in the skin and only caused by deliberate, slow, gentle, and relatively long strokes on the skin or fur.

For mammals, especially social ones, touch is a great way to make friends and strengthen bonds. But past research has shown that they engage in this behavior far more than than necessary from a purely hygienic standpoint. So, while grooming might have a very practical , even critical purpose, primates also seem to simply get a kick out of it and do it for fun or to socialize. The mammal enjoyment of pats probably started out as a practical ritual — for example, as grooming — and our physiology later evolved to encourage the activity with positive sensations.

Such behavior likely represented an evolutionary advantage as it promotes health, hygiene, bonding, and trust among the group, thereby increasing the survival chances of all its members. Alternatively, it is possible that this enjoyment of pats helps baby mammals keep warm by balling up together with their parents and siblings, thus conferring a selective advantage at a young age.

Regardless of why it happens, the end result is extremely effective at promoting bonding, social interaction, and good moods. This chemical cocktail puts us, or our pets, at ease, nips aggression in the bud, and induces a state of pleasure.

What they found was that stroking heavily activates neurons in the somatosensory cortex initially, although this dwindles in intensity over time — likely due to stimulus habituation. Stimulus habituation is the thing that makes you less sensitive to a particular smell after being exposed to it for a while, why you eventually stop feeling the chair under you or the smartphone in your right pocket.

At the same time, activity levels in the orbitofrontal gyrus OFC, also known as the orbitofrontal cortex and the putamen increase, stabilizing at about minute mark. Certain structures of the insular cortex the posterior insula also see greater activity during this time.

The team believes this increase in cerebral activity comes down to the subjective pleasure each participant was feeling — pleasure is how your brain rewards you for doing something.

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