AS MANY a parent will attest,when it comes to mental health and overall wellbeing, dogs are a teen's best friend.
Japanese researchers verified this common observation by assessing the behaviour and emotional state of over 300 teenagers, finding those with pet dogs tended to have fewer social and behavioural problems.
But the reason why may surprise you: it was found that dogs prompt changes in human gut microbiota linked with improved mental health.
In tests of the teens' saliva, dog owners had more of some types of bacteria - and when salivary bacteria from six teenagers were fed to mice, those given bacteria from dog-owning teens tended to become more social.
Mice with the dog-owning microbiome spent more time sniffing their cage mates, and showed a more social approach toward a trapped cage-mate - a standard behaviour test used to test prosocial behaviour in mice.
The researchers say that while mouse and human behaviour can't be directly compared, this suggests the bacteria that teens get from their dogs might help improve their wellbeing.
"Raising dogs has beneficial effects, especially for adolescents, and these effects may be mediated through symbiosis with microorganisms," concluded study lead Takefumi Kikusui of Azabu University in Japan.
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