A phone company has turned to the calming power of dogs in a bid to ease back-to-school anxieties while bolstering their latest technology.
Global tech brand OnePlus, is offering access to a ‘puppy-powered helpline’ as they mark the launch of their latest smartphone.
Coinciding with the new school term for pupils and teachers, they are hoping their new WhatsApp service which delivers videos of puppies, will help recharge any flagging spirits and calm jittery nerves.
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And their move, which comes in the form of a WhatsApp link, is based on well established research on the positive relationship between dogs and people.
Decades-old research revealed that contact with dogs triggers the release of the ‘cuddle hormone’ oxytocin in people, increasing the levels of the chemical that lowers heart rate and blood pressure, and relieves stress.
Connections with dogs have also been shown to be able to also cause the human brain to disperse the ‘pleasure hormone’ dopamine, boosting mood and long-term memory
And as research continues, simple eye contact with dogs and touch are now known to be major triggers of oxytocin and dopamine.
Scientist and author Meg Olmert, confirms cuddling a dog triggers oxytocin release, helping humans and animals bond and alleviating stress - and just looking at images and videos of them is powerful too.
Speaking to Business Insider, Meg explained: “Our journey with dogs began about 45,000 years ago according to the latest archaeological evidence. There is a feedback system neurochemically, psychologically and behaviourally that sets up between you and your pet. And how good you are to your pet is often exactly reflected back.”
Meg confirmed spending time with dogs, looking at images and videos of them helped to bring our heart rate down.
She said: “Your blood pressure comes down, your heart rate variability which is the ability of the heart to duck and dive and respond to stress improves. You release oxytocin, the opioids, adrenaline, and serotonin. So, all of these great reward chemicals and anti-stress chemicals can be released in both you and the pet.
“About 25 years ago they discovered that besides the oxytocin receptors and cells in the body that are producing oxytocin in the breast and the uterus, it’s produced throughout the brain and in all the areas that control behaviour and emotion.
“And what they discovered was that it was talking to other classic brain neurotransmitters such as serotonin, and dopamine and adrenaline, and the opioid system. And it was setting up, by doing that, this perfect mental physiologic state of calm. It is the most powerful drive and it creates the bond that lasts a lifetime. That’s how strong it is.”
With this type of research in mind, tech company OnePlus, is offering access to a ‘puppy-powered helpline’ as they mark the launch of their new smartphone, knowing that petting dogs increases the levels of dopamine, the feel-good hormone, and that looking at pictures or videos of dogs can make a person feel happy,
And as they launch their new phone, the OnePlus 10T which they boast can take a day’s charge in just 10 minutes, they are offering access via WhatsApp, to a series of videos of puppies and dogs to help lift the mood.
Tuomas Lampen from OnePlus said: “We are thrilled to create a service that not only alleviates symptoms of back-to-school blues but also boosts those all-important happy hormones with the help of our puppy-powered WhatsApp helpline.
“With the launch of the OnePlus Back-to-School Blues Helpline, our goal is to provide some light-hearted emotional support to anyone feeling low or anxious about the start of the new school term.”
New research for OnePlus revealed that more than half of people surveyed - 53% - said that spending time with a dog is a great way to ease anxiety and stress, and 41% said a cuddle from their dog would make them feel better during a difficult time.
Meg Olmert is the author of 'Made For Each Other: the Biology of the human-animal Bond', and an expert at the Warrior Canine Connection, which trains service dogs for veterans.. She has previously worked on research at the Karolinska Institute and the University of Maryland.
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