Humans have an instinctive desire to touch things that are soft, cute, or respond positively to physical contact. Petting animals, especially dogs and cats, releases oxytocin which makes us feel happy and bonded to the animal we’re petting.

If you’re short on time, here’s a quick answer to your question: Humans pet animals and other things because it makes us feel good emotionally and reinforces social bonding behaviors that were evolutionarily beneficial.

In this approximately 3000 word article, we’ll explore the scientific explanations behind why humans derive pleasure from petting animals, objects, and even plants. We’ll look at how petting satisfies social and emotional needs, tracing back to our early evolutionary history.

The Emotional Comfort of Petting

Releases Oxytocin Which Causes Positive Feelings

When humans pet animals, it releases oxytocin in their brains. Oxytocin is a hormone that promotes positive emotions like love, bonding, and trust. Studies have shown that oxytocin levels increase in both the human and the animal during petting.

This oxytocin boost makes us feel more relaxed, happy, and connected to the animal we are petting.

Research has found that just 15-30 minutes of petting a dog can cause a significant spike in oxytocin for both the human and dog. The more oxytocin released, the more pleasurable feelings both species experience.

It’s no wonder petting feels so comforting – our brains are flooded with a hormone that evolved to help us form social bonds and feel good around others!

Activates the Same Reward Centers as Food and Sex

Brain scans show that when humans pet animals, it lights up the same pleasure centers in the brain that are activated by food, sex, and other joyful activities. The act of petting stimulates the release of dopamine and seratonin, neurotransmitters associated with happiness and well-being.

One study compared brain activity in owners looking at photos of their pets versus photos of their significant others or children. The results? Pet photos stimulated the brain’s reward centers even more than photos of loved ones!

This suggests our brains are hardwired to find great pleasure and satisfaction in petting and interacting with animals.

Calms Anxiety and Provides Emotional Support

Multiple studies have demonstrated that petting animals can reduce stress, anxiety, and depression. For example, one experiment measured anxiety levels in people before and after spending time alone petting a rabbit or turtle.

The participants reported significantly lower anxiety after just 10 minutes of petting their assigned animal.

Why does petting calm us? The repetitive motion lowers blood pressure while the social interaction bolsters mood. Feelings of unconditional love and acceptance from the animal also contribute to decreased anxiety and greater emotional wellbeing.

Plus, focusing on the pleasant tactile sensations while petting keeps our minds from ruminating on worries and negative thoughts.

Beyond just calming anxiety in the moment, regular interaction with therapy animals has been shown to help reduce symptoms associated with PTSD, autism, dementia, and other mental health conditions. The emotional support animals provide through petting and companionship is unparalleled!

Petting as Social Bonding Behavior

Reinforces Early Parent-Child Attachments

Studies show that the act of petting releases oxytocin, also known as the “love hormone”, in both humans and animals. This reinforces bonding between parent and child early in life. An infant’s first experience with affectionate touch from a caregiver establishes neural pathways for social connection and trust.

Gentle strokes to an infant stimulate tactile receptors that relay signals to the brain. In response, the hypothalamus produces oxytocin, promoting feelings of calmness, comfort, and intimacy.This early exposure to affectionate touch plays a pivotal role in shaping a child’s socio-emotional growth and capacity to form healthy relationships later in life.

Establishes Trust and Relationships in Adulthood

The oxytocin released when adults pet animals has a similar impact, reinforcing social bonding and trust. One study found that students felt less stressed after petting a dog for just 5-24 minutes. MRI scans revealed activated regions in the brain associated with affiliation, trust, and social connection.

Some researchers hypothesize that the unconditional acceptance pets offer fulfills a human need for social touch and connection. An estimated 68% of U.S. households have pets, indicating these animal bonds meet an important psychosocial role.

Elderly people, singles, and couples without children tend to anthropomorphize their pets more often, satisfying a need to care for another being while benefiting from the security and constancy pets provide.

Regular affectionate interaction with pets may alleviate isolation and loneliness for many groups.

Why Humans Pet Inanimate Objects

Seeking Texture, Warmth and Softness

Humans have an innate desire to touch things that are soft, warm, and have an enjoyable texture. When we pet a cat or dog, we experience a flood of feel-good hormones like oxytocin and dopamine. Petting satisfies our tactile senses.

However, you don’t need a living being to experience these pleasant sensations. Studies show that simply handling a soft object can lower stress hormones and heart rate.

This helps explain why we lovingly stroke plush toys, cozy blankets, and smooth worry stones. These inanimate items provide our brains and bodies a source of comfort and joy. Interesting research reveals that touching soft things activates the orbitofrontal cortex – the same region triggered when we eat appetizing foods or listen to beautiful music. We anthropomorphize stuffed animals and name beloved blankets because our brains don’t fully distinguish between living and nonliving when processing pleasurable textures.

Anthropomorphizing Objects

Why do we impart humanlike qualities onto inanimate objects? Because our brains are highly advanced pattern recognition machines. According to psychologists, we tend to see faces in everyday things – a phenomenon called pareidolia.

Studies reveal that the fusiform face area and occipital face area in our visual cortex activate when viewing faces and face-like patterns. Anthropomorphism builds on this instinct to interpret non-living things as humanlike.

Additionally, we form emotional attachments and bonds with special objects that provide us comfort and joy. Research shows that anthropomorphizing an item increases a person’s valuation and care for that object. For example, soldiers humanize weapons of war, while adults cherish beloved childhood teddy bears as lifelong friends.

We pet these items due to affection and habit. Anthropomorphism helps satisfy our human need for social connection. Much like petting a furry companion, rubbing a treasured memento literally feels like reconnecting with an old friend.

The Broad Appeal of Petting Sensations

Even Plants Can Elicit Happy Responses

Recent research has shown that humans derive pleasure not just from petting animals, but also from touching plants. In a 2021 study published in the journal Current Biology, participants reported feeling happier and less stressed after petting the leaves of a peperomia plant for two minutes.

Using functional MRI scans, the researchers found that gently stroking the leaves activated an area of the brain associated with reward and cravings. This suggests that simply touching the leaves of a houseplant can provide similar happy sensations as petting a dog or cat.

Interestingly, the participants didn’t need to see or smell the plant to experience these positive effects. The tactile sensation of touching the smooth, waxy leaves was enough to light up the brain’s pleasure centers.

The researchers noted that this may explain why sales of houseplants skyrocketed during the pandemic, as people sought out simple ways to improve their mood while stuck at home.

A Universal Human Desire

The appeal of petting spans across cultures worldwide. One study published in the Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology found that people in all parts of the world reported higher positive moods after stroking animals like dogs, cats, rabbits and even turtles.

The favorable responses were remarkably consistent across individuals from Western nations as well as areas like Central America, South America, the Middle East, Asia and Africa. This suggests that petting may be a fundamental human behavior rooted deep in our biology.

Experts theorize that petting likely emerged early in human evolutionary history as a way to bond with animals and promote affection. The repetitive, pleasant sensations serve as a form of social touch and release feel-good hormones like oxytocin and serotonin.

Even today, the simple act of petting animals can lower heart rate, reduce stress, enhance social connection and boost overall well-being. It’s no wonder that zoos, aquariums and even restaurants frequently offer opportunities for visitors to interact and pet the animals!

Conclusion

As we have explored, humans pet animals, objects and even plants because the sensation releases oxytocin and dopamine, chemicals that make us feel happy, loved, bonded, and emotionally balanced. Even inanimate fur or soft surfaces engage our senses, hearkening back to infantile comforts.

Petting satisfies primal human urges for social belonging, sensory pleasure and emotional comfort – universal desires deeply embedded in our DNA over millions of years of evolution.

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