研究：吸猫撸狗有奇效，十分钟就能显著减压

Scientists have proved that petting cats and dogs for just ten minutes is an effective way to reduce stress levels.

科学家已证明，吸猫撸狗是一种减轻压力的有效方式，而且只需十分钟就能见效。

Scientists showed that the general well-being of students improves quickly, with even those who are highly stressed showing "significant" reduction in cortisol levels — a chemical produced by our bodies in times of stress.

科学家指出，在吸猫撸狗后，学生们的整体幸福感都有了显著改善，就连压力很大的人皮质醇水平也“显著”下降。皮质醇是人体在感受到压力时分泌出的化学物质。

Many universities have adopted "Pet Your Stress Away" programs where students can interact with cats or dogs and it appears to be paying dividends now.

许多大学都已经推行了“吸走你的压力”计划，让学生们可以和猫狗互动，现在看来已经见到了回报。

The research, conducted by Washington State University, shows that pets improve students' moods and their presence has stress-relieving physiological benefits.

华盛顿州立大学开展的这项研究表明，宠物能改善学生的情绪，给学生减轻压力，有益生理健康。

"Just 10 minutes can have a significant impact,'"said Patricia Pendry, an associate professor in WSU's Department of Human Development.

华盛顿州立大学人类发展系的副教授帕特丽夏·彭德利说：“只需10分钟就能有显著影响。”

"Students in our study that interacted with cats and dogs had a significant reduction in cortisol, a major stress hormone."

“在我们的研究中，与猫狗互动的学生皮质醇水平显著下降，皮质醇是主要的压力激素。”

This is the first study that has demonstrated reductions in students' cortisol levels during a real-life intervention.

这是首个在现实干预过程中发现学生皮质醇水平下降的研究。

The team chose 249 college students and put them into four random groups and compared the effects of different exposures to animals.

研究团队选择了249名高校学生，将他们随机分为四组，让各组用不同方式接触动物，并将效果作对比。

The first group were provided 10 minutes of hands-on interaction with dogs and cats.

第一组有10分钟时间与猫狗真实互动。

The second group waited in line while observing others petting the animals.

第二组在一旁排队等候，观察其他人吸猫撸狗。

The third group watched a slideshow of the same animals, while the fourth group was 'waitlisted.'

第三组观看这些动物的幻灯片，第四组则被列入了等候者名单。

Salivary cortisol samples were collected from each participant starting from the moment they woke up in the morning.

参与者早上一睡醒，研究人员就开始从他们那里收集唾液皮质醇样本。

There were significantly less cortisol in the saliva of students who had direct interaction with the pets.

与宠物发生直接互动的学生唾液中的皮质醇水平明显减少。

"We already knew that students enjoy interacting with animals, and that it helps them experience more positive emotions,'"Dr Pendry said.

彭德利博士说：“我们已经知道，学生们喜欢和动物互动，这有助于他们体验更积极的情感。”

"What we wanted to learn was whether this exposure would help students reduce their stress in a less subjective way."

“我们想知道这种接触是否能以一种比较客观的方式帮学生减轻压力。”

"And it did, which is exciting because the reduction of stress hormones may, over time, have significant benefits for physical and mental health."

“结果如我们所愿，这很让人兴奋，因为降低压力激素长远来看会给身体和心理健康带来巨大的好处。”

The findings were published in the journal American Educational Research Association.

该研究结果发表在《美国教育研究协会》期刊上。