Three minutes of petting a miniature horse or donkey was enough to make adolescents feel calmer and less anxious, sad, and lonely, according to a new University of California, Davis study published on September 15, 2026 in Scientific Reports.
The catch is that how you touch the animal, and whether the animal seems to enjoy it, appears to shape how much you benefit.
Researchers watched 61 teenagers spend three minutes with a small herd of rescued miniature horses named Olivia and Randy and two miniature donkeys named Mary and Memphis.
Half the teens were shown how to gently stroke the animals' backs.
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The other half were taught to give a firmer neck scratch.
Every participant reported feeling calmer and less nervous, sad, and lonely afterward, regardless of the method.
The study tested what the authors call the Two-Way hypothesis, meaning the idea that human and animal wellbeing during these sessions are linked.
Different reactions in the animals
The two touch styles produced very different reactions in the animals.
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Neck scratching triggered lip-wriggling, a well-known equine pleasure cue, in 75 percent of interactions, compared with 48 percent for back petting.
The animals walked away during 89 percent of back-petting sessions but only 42 percent of neck-scratching sessions.
That mattered for the humans too.
Teens who noticed the lip-wriggling reported a bigger drop in loneliness.
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Teens who noticed the animals walking away, a signal that the horse or donkey wanted a break, reported a bigger drop in sadness.
What it may mean for animal-assisted therapy
Animal-assisted interventions are a growing branch of mental health care, but the underlying evidence is mixed.
A 2026 systematic review and meta-analysis in older adults found a moderate effect on depressive symptoms and cognitive function, but no significant pooled effect on anxiety or loneliness, with the certainty of the evidence rated as low to very low.
The UC Davis paper is a small experimental study, not a clinical trial, so its findings are best read as a signal rather than a definitive answer.
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The authors argue that programs may work better when they train participants to read an animal's body language and to let the animal choose when to disengage.
A short, willing interaction with an animal that seems to enjoy your company may help ease anxiety and loneliness.
Pushing the animal to stay when it wants space is not the goal.
Anyone with persistent anxiety, sadness, or loneliness should talk to a doctor or mental health professional.
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This article is made and published by Ida-Marie Palm Varbæk, who may have used AI in the preparation.