Dogs Can Smell Human Stress

New Study Reveals Scent May Trigger Similar Emotional Effect

Dogs have an amazing sense of smell that allows them to detect a wide range of scents, including human stress. A new study out of the United Kingdom suggests that the smell of human stress not only triggers a reaction in dogs, but may also have a similar emotional effect.

The study, conducted by researchers at the University of Bristol, involved 36 dogs and their owners. The dogs were exposed to the smell of human stress, which was collected from breath and sweat samples taken from people who were experiencing acute psychological stress. The results showed that the dogs were able to differentiate the smell of stress from the smell of non-stressful samples.

The researchers also found that the dogs showed signs of emotional contagion when exposed to the smell of human stress. This means that the dogs' own stress levels increased when they smelled the stress odor. The dogs were also more likely to make riskier decisions when they were exposed to the smell of stress.

The findings of this study suggest that dogs may be able to use their sense of smell to detect and respond to human stress. This could have implications for the use of dogs in therapeutic settings, such as providing comfort and support to people who are experiencing stress or anxiety.