Dogs are very popular companion animals and can form close relationships with their people. They also can have positive benefits on humans' physical, emotional, cognitive, and social well-being. In Jen Golbeck and Stacey Colino's new book, The Purest Bond: Understanding the Human–Canine Connection, we learn a lot about how dogs can help heal our bodies, minds, and hearts, and I'm glad they could answer a few questions about their highly acclaimed discussion of multidimensional human-dog relationships.
Marc Bekoff: Why did you write The Purest Bond?
Jen Golbeck and Stacey Colino: During the pandemic when people were hunkered down at home, they began to spend more time with the dogs they had, or they adopted or rescued pups, perhaps for the first time. When so much feels wrong with the world, this joyful connection provides a powerful reminder of what continues to be right in our lives—love, trust, affection, playfulness, fresh air, and time outside. Celebrating that bond helps relieve people’s stress and gives them hope.
MB: How does your latest book relate to your backgrounds and general areas of interest?
JG: Professionally, I am a scientist and science communicator. I've also done some of my own research on how people connect with their dogs through technology and how dogs impact people's sense of well-being. That, combined with my own background as guardian of a large squad of special-needs rescue golden retrievers, made this project a perfect fit for my interests.
SC: I am a writer, specializing in health, psychology, and science, and I have coauthored numerous books in these areas. This was my first book about the incredible bonds people have with their dogs and how beneficial they are on so many levels. This is something I have experienced firsthand as a lifelong dog lover—I grew up with dogs and have had three rescue dogs during my adult life.
MB: Who do you hope to reach with your interesting and important book?
JG/SC: We want people who love dogs to see their own experiences in the book and learn more about the science that underlies the amazing benefits they get from this connection.
MB: What are some of the major topics you cover?
JG/SC: In our book, we explore how bonds develop between people and their dogs and how they evolve over time, as well as how dogs facilitate communication within families and benefit our physical and emotional health and our lives within our communities. We also dive into what dogs need from us and how we can recognize their needs throughout their lives.1
This is a reciprocal relationship. We love our dogs, and they love us back, down to the biological level. When there’s a strong bond between people and their pups, we can catch each other’s emotions and affect each other’s hormone levels—including oxytocin, which is often called the “love hormone” or the “cuddle hormone”—in beneficial ways.
We also form “attachment bonds” with our dogs. These are deep emotional connections, most often studied between babies and their mothers, but they happen with our dogs, too. In one study, researchers showed dogs videos featuring their human caregivers, acquaintances, or unknown individuals while their cerebral responses were monitored using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). The sight of their owners stimulated regions in the dogs’ brains that correspond to emotional responses, bonding, and pleasure recognition in humans. This indicates that our dogs really do love us just like our family members do.
MB: How does your book differ from others that are concerned with some of the same general topics?
JG/SC: Our book is really a joyful celebration of the richness and the benefits of the bond between people and their dogs. Rather than being focused on one aspect of the bond—such as love or training—The Purest Bond explores multiple facets of this relationship, including how dogs serve as stabilizing influences in our lives, the challenges of living with an aging dog and how we can adapt some of our favorite activities to suit their evolving needs, and grieving the loss of these beloved creatures when they die. The depth of that grief often catches people by surprise, and our culture doesn’t recognize how profound it can be, which leads to “disenfranchised grief” that can make it even more intense.
MB: Are you hopeful that as people learn more about who dogs are and what they want and need from us they will be more open to developing and maintaining a relationship that is a win-win for the dogs and the humans?
JG/SC: Absolutely! Our hope is that understanding how important we are to them as well as vice versa will make us more invested in their well-being and committed to the connection. This relationship needs to be valued and respected just as much as any other important relationship in someone’s life. You owe your dog at least that much.
References
In conversation with Jen Golbeck and Stacey Colino. Jen is the “internet’s dog mom” and creator of the social media sensation "The Golden Ratio." A professor at the University of Maryland’s College of Information Studies, she is a popular science communicator on issues related to her research on social media and dogs. Her TED Talks have been viewed by millions, and she is a popular keynote speaker who has appeared on NPR, The 11th Hour, and more. Her writing has appeared in Slate, The Atlantic, Psychology Today, and Wired. She and her husband rescue golden retrievers who are senior or who have special medical needs and give them a safe and comfortable life. Find out more at JenGolbeck.com. Stacey Colino is an award-winning writer specializing in health and psychological issues. Her writing has appeared in US News & World Report, The Washington Post, Newsweek, Parade, National Geographic, and more. She is the coauthor of numerous books, including Count Down, Emotional Inflammation, and Disease Proof. Stacey is a lifelong dog lover and has owned three rescue dogs. Follow her on Twitter @ColinoStacey.
1. I'm pleased to see how the authors also stress how important it is to take the dog's point of view because it's a myth that dogs are everyone's best friend, and all too often the human-dog relationship is extremely asymmetric and the dog's needs aren't given much, if any, consideration. Reciprocity is key.
Jen Golbeck, Stacey Colino. How Dogs Help Us Lead Longer, Healthier Lives. Wall Street Journal, November 10, 2023.
Emotional Contagion From the Heart Between Humans and Dogs
Living With a Dog Is Good, If It's Good for You and the Dog
login
who are we?
contact us
qosheapp
Toi Staff
Gideon Levy
Belen Fernandez
Andrew Mitrovica
Mort Laitner
Nikkei Editorial
Rami G Khouri
Ali Fathollah-Nejad
visit website
