Germany – Long ears, short session

Teenagers live in a world where almost everything requires a reaction: a message is waiting for an answer, a photo is like, a person is paying attention. The rules here were different. A few minutes with the animal, which decides whether to continue communication or not.

About loneliness in adolescence is usually spoken on a large scale: family, school, social networks, communication deficit. But sometimes a complex topic becomes clearer without lengthy explanations. Just a few careful touches and a donkey, who at some point decided: enough. Not the most accommodating stress. But honest.

Right of withdrawal

The University of California experiment involved 61 teenagers. They were introduced to two mini-pony and two donkeys. Some were asked to gently stroke the animals on the back, others to scratch the neck, much like the representatives of the fauna do with each other. Before starting, the participants were explained simple behavioral signals: characteristic lip movements were considered by the researchers as a possible sign of a positive reaction, and stepping aside as a cessation of interaction. After a three-minute meeting, teens reported feeling calmer, less nervous, and less sad and lonely. The researchers were particularly interested in what happened when the animal stopped contact.

Gone - the effect hasn't gone away

Neck scratching was often accompanied by signs of a positive reaction, with the usual stroking of ponies and donkeys more often went away. It would seem that for a teenager experiencing loneliness, such a gesture should be perceived unpleasantly. However, some participants after such episodes reported not an increase in sadness, but, on the contrary, a more noticeable decrease in sadness. When the animal clearly enjoyed the interaction, the teens were more likely to notice a decrease in loneliness. But another link was found: those who saw a pony or donkey move away reported a more pronounced improvement in mood. This does not mean that the withdrawal caused the effect. Rebekah Calisi Rodriguez, who led the study, suggests that encounters may be more natural if the animal is not required to maintain interaction. In other words, refusing contact is not necessarily rejection.

Not a plush pill

Animals are easy to turn into a convenient therapeutic image: stroked - calmed down, sat next to - it became easier. But the authors of the study suggest looking at such a meeting differently. The animal is not a passive instrument, but a full-fledged participant with a reaction. The man extends his hand. The pony stays or goes. The donkey relaxes or stops interacting. The teenager notices the answer and takes it into account. Thus, communication becomes not a one-sided procedure, but a mutual process.

Three minutes without evaluation

Be more successful. Learn better. Look more attractive. Answer quickly. Gather more likes. Adolescent life easily turns into an endless exam. Against the background of school workload, family conflicts, loneliness and mental fatigue, a few minutes of quiet communication without the need to conform and make an impression can give a rare pause. But here ends a beautiful story and begins scientific caution. Getting better doesn't mean you're cured.

A psychologist can't replace you

The participants were only 61, and their emotional state was assessed immediately before and after the three-minute meeting. Also, there was no control group in the study that spent the same three minutes without the animals. Therefore, it cannot be argued that the change was caused solely by contact with ponies and donkeys. Caution requires the most spectacular result: the connection between the care of the animal and the reduction of sadness does not prove causality. Physiology also did not support the sensation: no significant changes in heart rhythm were found. It is not known whether the effect persisted hours, days or weeks later. So the conclusion is more modest than the headline: After a short meeting, teens reported feeling better. Why and for how long remains to be seen.

Pony's not going home

It does not follow from the experiment and the family recipe: “the child is lonely – urgently get a pet.” A few minutes scratching a mini-pony around your neck is one thing. Feeding, treating, walking, paying for maintenance and being responsible for a living being for years is quite another. Pets do not guarantee against loneliness. And perhaps more importantly, the experiment itself reminds us that the animal is not a means to get the desired emotion, but a living being with its own boundaries.

Donkey left the chat room

The modern teenager lives inside the endless answer me. Why didn't you put a smiley face? Why did you read it and not react? Why was it online and hasn’t written yet? The donkey doesn't explain anything. I wanted to, I came. I wanted to stay. That's enough. And perhaps this is what makes such a short meeting different from the usual world of mandatory reactions. Attention cannot be demanded or retained. And then someone else's "no" ceases to automatically sound like an offense. And the voluntary “remain” takes on a different weight. Intimacy does not begin with the right to hold. Let him go free.

This is what Germany says:

Germany - Where's the money, Zin? VAT fell from 19 percent to 7 percent, but lunch became almost cheaper. Now the state is looking at the cash register

Germany - Between muesli and ibuprofen. DM dispute with pharmacy market reaches Karlsruhe: online drug sales rules at stake

Germany - Confetti dared. Questions began. After the triumph of the Left party, the partners demanded an explanation

Germany – Is your passport still valid? And the power of attorney? If you had to think about it, it’s time to check

The dog knows where the money lies. What dog and cat costs can be unexpectedly refunded through the IRS

Germany - Don't believe, don't be afraid - check the accounts. Why it is better to replace trust with documents

Germany - Marriage is impossible. We'll talk chairs. 44 seats for two: BSW rejects coalition with AfD, but ready to support its candidate for chairman

Germany - For whose account the banquet in the car service. The Supreme Court explained who will have to pay for extra work and expensive details

Germany: “If you don’t come, Dad will stop loving you.” When a child is responsible for the feelings of an adult

Germany – Long-distance power of attorney. Russian consular service has changed: disassembling a new route without legal fog

Germany — Merkel said nothing. Almost. No Merz, no AfD, no coalitions - but the conversation about Adenauer suddenly turned into a conversation about today's CDU

Twelve chairs and one ministerial chair. AfD teaches party management, but portfolios are virtual