VOA慢速英语2019 研究表明狗狗也能感受到主人的压力（在线收听）

Study: Dogs Can Feel Their Owners' Stress, Too

When dog owners experience a long period of stress, they are not alone in feeling the pressure.Their dogs feel it, too.

当狗主人长时间处于压力中的时候，他们并不是唯一感受到压力的人。他们的狗也能感觉的到。 

That information comes from new a study published Thursday in Scientific Reports.

这一结果出自周四《科学报告》上发表的一项新研究。 

Swedish scientists centered the research on 58 people who own border collies or Shetland sheepdogs.Both are traditionally herding dogs.

瑞典科学家对58名拥有边境牧羊犬或谢得兰牧羊犬的人进行了集中研究。这两种牧羊犬都是传统的牧羊犬。

The scientists examined hair from the dog owners and their dogs.They looked at the levels of a hormone called cortisol.This chemical is released into the bloodstream during stressful experiences.Pieces of hair can take in this chemical.

科学家们检查了狗主人和他们的狗的毛发。他们观察了一种叫做皮质醇的激素水平。这种化学物质在经历紧张情绪时会释放到血液中。毛发会吸收这种化学物质。

Depression, extreme physical exercise and unemployment are just a few examples of stress causers that can affect the amount of cortisol released in humans,said Lina Roth of Sweden’s Linkoping University.

“抑郁症、剧烈的体育锻炼和失业只是造成压力的几个例子，这些压力会影响人体皮质醇的释放量。”瑞典林雪平大学的莉娜·罗斯说。

Roth and her team found that cortisol levels in the hair of dog owners closely matched levels found in their dogs.The researchers say this suggests their stress levels were in sync -- or connected.

罗斯和她的团队发现，养狗者毛发中的发现的皮质醇水平与其在他们的狗毛发内的水平非常接近。研究人员表示，这表明他们的压力水平是同步的，或者说相互关联的。

Roth believes that the owners are influencing the dogs instead of dogs influencing their human owners.That is because there are human personality traits that also appear to affect dogs’ cortisol levels.

罗斯认为，是狗的主人在影响着狗，而不是狗影响它们的主人。这是因为人类的性格特征也会影响狗的皮质醇水平。

But, why is it that people influence their dogs and not the other way around?It could be, Roth said in an email, because people are “a more central part of the dog’s life,whereas we humans also have other social networks.”

但是，为什么人们会影响他们的狗，而不是反过来狗影响它们的主人呢?罗斯在一封电子邮件中说，可能是因为相比狗在人类生命中的地位，人类在狗的一生中占据了更重要的位置，而我们人类也有其他的社交关系。

The study results are no surprise, said Alicia Buttner.She is director of animal behavior with the Nebraska Humane Society in the American city of Omaha.

艾丽西亚·巴特纳说，研究结果并不令人意外。她是美国奥马哈市内布拉斯加动物保护协会的动物行为主管。

Buttner said new evidence is continually found to show people and their dogs have extremely “close bonds that resemble the ones that parents share with their children.”

巴特纳说，不断有新的证据表明，人们和他们的狗之间有着极其密切的关系，就像父母和他们的孩子之间的关系一样。

Buttner also said there is not enough evidence to prove that the influence goes only one way.

巴特纳还说，没有足够的证据证明这种影响只会往一个方向发展。 

She said, “It’s not just as simple as owner gets stressed, dog gets stressed.”

她说，不仅仅只是主人感到压力，狗也会感到压力这么简单。 

Buttner said cortisol levels do not necessarily demonstrate “bad” stress.They instead can be representative of a good experience like getting ready to go for a walk, she said.

巴特纳说，皮质醇水平并不一定表明体内有不利的压力，相反，有时它们可以代表一种很好的体验，比如说准备去散步。

Roth and her team plan to investigate whether other kinds of dogs react to their owners the same way.

罗斯和她的团队计划调查其他种类的狗是否与它们的主人有同样的反应。 

For now, she offers advice for reducing how much stress a dog owner may be causing their pet.Dogs that play more show fewer signs of stress, she said.

目前，她为帮助减轻狗主人给宠物带来的压力提供了一些建议。她说，玩耍时间更多的狗表现出的压力特征更少。

So “just be with your dog and have fun,” Roth said.

所以，罗斯说：“只要和你的狗狗在一起并且开心的玩就可以了”。 

Words in This Story

stress - n. a state of mental tension and worry caused by problems in your life, work, etc.

match - v. to be the equal of (something or someone)

trait - n. a quality that makes one person or thing different from another

resemble - v. to look or be like (someone or something)