Anxiety May Increase Your Chances of Getting Bit by a Dog

Remember when our parents told that us that it’s never a good idea to be afraid of dogs lest you may end up with a nasty bite? Well, according to a new University of Liverpool study, the idea that dogs could get triggered by fear, by anxiety to be more specific, appears to be legitimate.

British Study Suggests that People with Anxiety More Likely to Get Bit by Dogs

Carri Westgarth, a researcher at the University of Liverpool and one the authors of the latest dog-based study, declared that this is the first scientific study to point out a link between canine aggressiveness and anxiety.

According to Westgarth, people struggling or trying to cope with anxiety are twice more likely to getting bit by a dog than people without anxiety. In more scientific terms, patients with neurosis or emotionally unstable are more likely to getting bit by canines.

For the purpose of this study, Westgarth and her colleagues interviewed over 700 people. The interview was followed by a 10-item emotional stability test. Upon compiling the data from tests and interviews, the scientists discovered that stable emotional participants who scored between 1 and 7 were 23 percent less likely to getting bit by canines.

Subsequently, one of every four patients were bitten by dogs, and 55 percent of them were attacked by dogs they did not know. From a gender standpoint, men were twice more likely to being bit by dogs compared to women.

Moreover, the study revealed that pet owners are three times more likely to getting bit by dogs, compared to those who have never owned a pet.

Conclusion

To conclude the study, Westgarth declared that the numbers tend to prove that the more prone you are to anxiety, the more likely it is to getting bit by a canine.

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