A study led by Prof Takefumi Kikusui at Azabu University found that being licked by dogs can boost the mental health of teenagers, based on analysis of 345 adolescents, 96 of whom lived with dogs. Owning a pet, especially a dog, is associated with better mental health, including reduced stress, anxiety, and feelings of loneliness.

The research, published in the journal iScience, links adolescent dog ownership and frequent close contact (such as kissing and licking) with differences in adolescents’ oral and gut microbiota, which may be partly involved in their wellbeing; it does not specifically identify unique health-promoting properties of canine saliva. In general, pet ownership has been shown to enhance feelings of social support and purpose, which are crucial during the formative years of adolescence.

Prof Takefumi Kikusui, the study’s lead, said: “Raising dogs has beneficial effects, especially for adolescents, and these effects may be mediated through symbiosis with microorganisms.” His team examined biological samples from the participant group and compared teenagers who lived with dogs to those who did not, providing insight into the potential mental health benefits across different ages, although specific statistics on age groups remain less available.

The authors highlight the transfer of oral microbes between dogs and their owners as a plausible route for the observed differences. “Since the gut microbiota influences behaviour through the gut-brain axis, we conducted this experiment,” Prof Kikusui said, tying the laboratory work to broader questions about behaviour and mental state. Pet owners can further enhance their bond and benefits from their dogs through regular positive activities like walking and playing, which increase companionship and shared joy.

In laboratory follow-up reported by the researchers, dog-influenced bacteria were injected into mice; the rodents became more social and engaged more with other mice, a finding the team presents as laboratory evidence that specific microbes can affect social behaviour.

Prof Kikusui also pointed to a discovery the authors regard as noteworthy: “The most interesting finding from this study is that bacteria promoting prosociality, or empathy, were discovered in the microbiomes of adolescent children who keep dogs.” The study frames that result as one potential mechanism by which dog ownership might support social functioning in teenagers and reinforce the link between pet ownership and improved mental health outcomes.

The study’s scientific write-up appears in iScience, and summaries of the research have been published for general readers, including a lay summary in Country Living and a syndication of the report in the Daily Express.

Across the participant group of 345 teenagers, the researchers compared measures of social behaviour and other wellbeing indicators between dog owners and non-owners, and paired those measures with microbiome analysis drawn from oral and gut samples. The team’s findings suggest that interactions with dogs — including kissing and licking, which can transfer oral microbes — are one pathway that may alter the microbial communities shared between animals and people and that those changes can be linked to social behaviour.

Beyond the laboratory findings, the authors stress the potential importance of microbial symbiosis in the relationship between adolescents and pet dogs. Their report integrates biological sampling with behavioural measures to probe how everyday contact with animals might map onto mental wellbeing. For readers seeking more detail on the study’s methods and public summaries, a full lay account is available from Country Living and a syndicated version ran with the Daily Express.

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Original reporting: view the original article.