It might be a good move to let your cranky employees bring their dogs to work.

Research suggests that Fido’s mere presence stimulates the release of an internal chemical that perks folks right up. That is, as long as the dog gazes longingly and often into its owner’s eyes.

That’s what The Washington Post reports after it reviewed research done by Japanese scientists. This wasn’t one of those “studies” where people were asked about their feelings. These researchers actually analyzed the amount of oxytocin the in the urine of dog owners, and found that those who gazed at their dogs for a set time produced more than did those who weren’t allowed to doggie-gaze for as long.

The groups were divided into LG and SG — long gazers and short gazers, respectively. The scientists measured the oxytocin levels in the urine of the two groups 30 minutes after the gazing period ended. Here’s what they found:

“In the interaction experiment, a high correlation was found in LG between the frequency of behavioral exchanges initiated by the dog’s gaze and the increase in urinary OT. We conclude that interactions with dogs, especially those initiated by the dog’s gaze, can increase the urinary OT concentrations of their owners as a manifestation of attachment behavior.”

In other words, it’s the dog’s response to the human’s desire for eye contact that makes the good chemicals flow, and not just the proximity of animal to human.

At work, that could make all the difference in an employee’s emotional well-being. Miho Nagasawa, one of the study’s authors, told the Post the release of oxytocin triggered by dog-gazing reduces anxiety and arousal levels in humans and dogs. “The positive interaction between humans and dogs via mutual gazing may reduce stress activity for each other,” she says.

Now, what the research team needs to do is rerun the test with cats, just to placate all those feline lovers out there.

Instant Insights /

Dogs in the office could be beneficial, scientists say

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