PAWSITIVELY PLEASED How Pets Peak Our Dopamine

My hypothesis is that the people not known to the dog will spike their heart rate because according to some scientific studies you heart rate can spike temporarily if you play with a dog for over ten minutes. The study also shows that a pet owner can have the same reaction as some one who doesn't know the dog.

Dopamine acts as a key neurotransmitter and hormone. It sparks the brain's reward system. This triggers pleasure and strong motivation. Think of that rush from biting into fresh chocolate or crossing a finish line after a tough run. Dopamine also steadies movement. It shapes mood swings. It aids deep sleep cycles. And it boosts how we learn new skills. Your brain and body make dopamine. Specific areas of the brain like the substantia nigra and ventral tegmental area handle most production. The substantia nigra is the part of the brain that Rewarding acts set it free. Eating tasty food can trigger it. Even small wins, like checking off a to-do list, can spike levels. Low dopamine can link to real health issues. Parkinson's hits hard with shaky movements and stiff limbs. Cells that produce dopamine die off there. ADHD brings focus struggles and low drive. Kids and adults fight restless energy from uneven dopamine flow. Other brain chemicals lift spirits too. Oxytocin builds trust in hugs or close talks. Serotonin keeps moods even and calms worry. Endorphins block pain and spark joy during workouts. Dopamine steals the spotlight, though. People know it best for that feel-good drive.

manipulated: exposure to animals( playing with a dog) responding: dopamine release( measured through hear rate change) Controlled variable : dog will stay the same, how long they are playing with dog, same environment, time intervals stay the same through out all participants

Have person sit down Ask if experience adhd or parkinsons symptoms Measure heart rate for 2 mins in advance Bring dog in and measure heart rate for 5 mins Graph and move on to next person Measure 5 known people to the dog

I observed that most of my participants’ heart rates went up at least a little bit while playing with my dog. Most of my female participants had notably higher heart rates, and their heart rates spiked more.I also noticed that there haertrates went slowly up and then came back down barely.

On my project I noticed that most of the heart rates went up slightly as they were playing with my dog. Most females tend to have higher heart rates. This also meant that there was a bigger gap in between their heart rates. For example, participant two had an average heart rate of 92.4 bpm before playing with my dog, but while she was playing with my dog, her average heart rate was 101.6 bpm. This displays the gap in between their heart rates. Males tend to have lower heart rates, and I noticed that there was less of a gap.

In conclusion dopamine can make your heart rate go up. Dopamine also helps with stress, and anxiety. Dopamine is also a healthy part of our everyday lives, it helps us function and have our own quirky personality’s.

This information could help us find a useful tool for anxiety and stress. It could also help in therapy or child protection cases to help people find the happiness in every day life.when we use this information we can start to understand certain parts of the brain and what they are connected to.

Small sample size, 4 people. measure of heart rate, cannot be totally specific about dopamine levels. These people have known the dog for a long time so dog might have a different reaction than to unknown people.

BIBLIOGRAPHY: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/22581-dopamine, https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7672023/#:~:text=In%20addition%2C%20insulin%20was%20measured,in%20these%20studies%20so%20far.

i would like to thank the following people: Mom, Dad, Kam, Mr Webster, Mr Waters,Mr Slater, and Ms Easton. You really helped me find my information, and build my project from scratch. you all gave me valuable advice and suggestions on how to improve. So I thank you.