Abstract
Although fish and other aquatic species are popular privately-kept pets, little is known about the effects of watching live fish on the perceptions of arousal and the link between those perceptions and physiological measures of arousal. In two separate experiments, participants were asked to watch identically-equipped fish tanks for five minutes in each of three conditions: (1) Live fish, (2) plants and water, and (3) empty tank. Linear mixed models used across both experiments revealed similar results: Greater perceptions of relaxation and mood, and less anxiety during or after viewing the live fish condition, compared with the other conditions. Heart rate and heart rate variability responded to the arousal associated with a math task, but did not differ consistently across viewing conditions. These results suggest that the link between perceptions of arousal, and the physiological measures associated with arousal, may not be strong or immediate, or that heart rate and heart rate variability may not be appropriate measures for the test population. Implications of these results for the biophilia hypothesis and the biopsychosocial model are discussed.
Highlights
Aquaria containing fish and other aquatic animals are commonly found in homes, offices, assisted living facilities and classrooms
Random intercept Linear Mixed Models (LMM) were used with all measurements nested within participants
A separate series of models were run for each outcome (HR—Heart Rate, HRV—Heart Rate Variability as measured by the root mean square of successive differences (RMSSD), relaxation score, mood score (Experiment 1 only), and State Trait Anxiety
Summary
Aquaria containing fish and other aquatic animals are commonly found in homes, offices, assisted living facilities and classrooms. In the US, approximately 12.5 million households include freshwater fish aquaria, and an additional 2.5 million include saltwater aquaria [1], making fish the third most popular pet behind dogs (in 60.2 million households) and cats (in 47.1 million households). As an aquarium will generally contain more than one individual, the total number of fishes owned is estimated to be as high as 139.3 million freshwater, and 18.8 million saltwater, fish, eclipsing cats (94.2 million) and dogs (89.7 million). Most research examining human and companion animal interactions focuses primarily upon dogs [2], followed by horses, cats and other mammals (e.g., guinea pigs). Mounting evidence shows health benefits to humans related to companion animal ownership.
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