I was reading about the potential mechanisms by which our animal companions might improve our survival after a heart attack when I ran across a passage about a “profound” cardiovascular response when petting dogs or horses. “This response usually takes the form of a significant reduction in the heart rate and blood pressure.” I could totally see that. But then the next sentence made me do a double take: “Unfortunately, we have no information about the physiological responses of the person doing the petting.”3104 The researchers were talking about the heart rate and blood pressure of the
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