Dogs Improve Office Productivity

Anyone who has ever owned a dog knows they're good company to have around the house and can make you more relaxed. They're good company at work, too, according to new research cited in The Economist.

Researchers at Central Michigan University did an experiment with 12 groups of four people each to see how they worked in a collaborative office environment, and found that the groups with a dog underfoot worked more collaboratively than those without. Those with a dog in the room they were working in during the experiment ranked their teammates more highly on measures of trust, team cohesion and intimacy than those who didn't have a dog with them.