Study Finds 3 Minutes With Mini Horses or Donkeys Lifts 61 Teens' Moods

Q: Why did teenagers actually feel significantly less sad when rescued therapy animals simply walked away from them?

Teenagers likely felt less sad when the animals walked away because the animals’ withdrawal may have signaled agency and authenticity, not rejection. That was one of the study’s most surprising findings. In the UC Davis experiment, adolescents who saw miniature horses or donkeys walk away reported larger drops in sadness after the three-minute interaction. The researchers’ “Two-Way Hypothesis” suggests the animals were active participants whose behavior shaped the teens’ emotional response. Lead researcher Rebecca Calisi-Rodríguez said the result challenges the idea that more animal engagement is always better. If an animal is free to approach, stay, or leave, the interaction may feel more real and emotionally meaningful. Seeing an animal make its own choice may also reassure teens that the encounter is respectful rather than forced. The study does not prove exactly why sadness fell more in those cases, and the sample was small. But the evidence suggests that animal-assisted benefits may come not only from touch or affection, but from reciprocity — including clear signals that the animal is comfortable enough to choose distance. That matters because the research points away from treating therapy animals as passive tools. The animals’ behavior, including walking away, may be part of what helps people emotionally. Researchers said they now want to test whether these brief encounters also change physiological measures such as heart rate and breathing in both teens and animals.

3 articles · Updated · The Washington Post · Sep 17

61 teenagers who spent three minutes petting or scratching rescued miniature horses and donkeys later reported less anxiety, sadness and loneliness, and greater calm, a study published Tuesday found.
The mood gains held whether the animals reacted positively—such as lip wiggling—or negatively by walking away, based on teens’ self-ratings before and after the interaction.
Four animals—miniature horses Olivia and Randy and miniature donkeys Mary and Memphis—were used in the sessions, which took place last year.
UC Davis researcher Rebecca Calisi-Rodríguez said the work targeted teens facing pressure from social media and school, and she plans to study heart-rate and breathing changes in both teens and animals next.