Do You Like Pets? Why Pets Make People Happier (Especially Right Now)
By: Shannon Sweeney
For current animal owners, the question “do you like pets?” is pretty much rhetorical. But for someone thinking about adopting their first pet, there may be genuine uncertainty as to whether or not the good outweighs the bad.
Let’s start with this - pet ownership is a major commitment. It takes time, money, patience and commitment. It can be frustrating, inconvenient and, when we lose them, immeasurably painful. But most pet owners wouldn’t trade a moment of it.
There’s something truly special about the relationship between a pet and its owner. They provide us with a source of love, comfort and happiness in a way that can have a significant impact on our health — and there’s scientific evidence to back it up. There’s a reason that animal shelters have seen a recent uptick in animal fostering. Pets can be great companions in difficult times.
When you own a pet, you can say with confidence that they’ve changed your life just as much as you’ve changed theirs. They bring us joy, laughter, and a sense of responsibility for someone outside ourselves — and that’s just scratching the surface.
So if you’re thinking about getting a pet to help you cope with loneliness, stress and anxiety, I couldn’t recommend it more as I write this with my 3-year-old calico cat purring next to me.
Pets, especially dogs and cats, make us feel happier because they can help reduce stress, anxiety, depression, and more. We’ll go through the specific reasons why having a furry friend by your side can truly go a long way in improving your health and happiness.
Why Pets Are Good For Your Mental Health - Specifically, Feelings Of Anxiety And Loneliness
If you own a dog, you know this to be true — when you’re crying, sad, or upset, your dog will be right there next to you. But why?
One of the main reasons pets have a calming and therapeutic effect on us is because they fulfill the need humans have for touch — especially in times of isolation. So if you live alone, having a pet will help you fulfill that basic need we have as a species.
Scientific studies on both dogs and cats have shown that pets are likely to approach their owners when they’re crying, and the science behind it has to do with their sense of attachment to their owners.
From a non-scientific standpoint, when you’re alone and upset, having a furry friend can make you feel less lonely and can help overcome feelings of solitude and depression.
Studies have found that pet owners are less likely to suffer from depression than those without pets, and playing with a pet helps release serotonin and dopamine in our brains — two chemicals that help us relax, feel happy, and remain calm.
How Pets Motivate Us
When you have a dog, it has basic physical needs you are obligated meet — like, food ample exercise and mental stimulation. That’s great for them, but what does that mean for you? It forces you to be active — which can ultimately help you control symptoms of depression, anxiety, stress, bipolar disorder, and more. As you take your dog for a walk, run, hike, or other physical activity, you’re not only benefiting your pet but your own body, too.
Pets also motivate us to have structure in our lives. Even if your usual schedule is entirely upside down, a pet still needs a regular routine. From breakfast to bedtime, taking care of a pet means having habitual activities for you both. In times of upheaval, having a structure like this can naturally help you manage stress and anxiety because you have some semblance of a daily routine set in stone — all thanks to your pet.
How Pets Impact Our Physical Health
Multiple studies have connected pet ownership to better health — even beyond mental health benefits.
Here’s how Help Guide suggests that pets can help us with our physical health:
Pets have been connected with helping to lower blood pressure
Owning a dog has been found to help with weight loss
Pet owners have been found to have lower triglyceride and cholesterol levels, two indicators of heart disease
Heart attack patients with pets survive longer than non-pet owners
Pet owners over the age of 65 have 30 percent fewer visits to the doctor
Pets can help reduce muscle tension and lower heart rate
Additional studies have also recorded a few extreme cases of pets intervening in their owners health:
There are reports of pooches detecting cancer going back over twenty years.
In another case, a dog’s odd behavior motivated its owner to remove a lesion that turned out to be a basal cell carcinoma.
According to the British Medical Journal; over one-third of dogs residing in the same home as a diabetes sufferer, show changes in behavior when their owner’s blood sugar level drops!
Naturally, taking your dog for a walk is just as good for your health as it is theirs, but even just the company of a pet may have a positive effect on your health.
When you wrap up a hard day of work, or when you wake up feeling stressed, anxious or depressed, sometimes just having someone to talk to makes a huge difference — even if it’s someone who can talk back. No matter whether you’re a cat person or a dog person — or even a snake or turtle person — all pets come with the superpower of helping our mental and physical health.
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