Pets belong in the family. They have the same needs that people do for affection, care, and attention. However, pet owners’ interactions with their animals are two-way. Pets benefit our mental, physical, and emotional well-being in so many ways.
Numerous advantages of owning dogs have been demonstrated by science. Pets give their owners a longer, happier, and physically and mentally healthier life. According to The Human Animal Bond Research Institute, pets may help reduce the risk of heart attack, reduce stress, and more.
Pets May Provide You With Better Mental Health
Pets can improve mental health via both practical and emotional work. It is possible to think of emotional work as reducing anxiety, tension, and depression. You may have noticed that when you are upset or depressed, your pet doesn’t waste any time sensing and acting on it.
They are excellent support and therapy animals because of their intuition, and PTSD, anxiety, and depression can be effectively treated with animal-assisted therapy. In recent years, there has been an increase in therapy animals in nursing homes and hospitals to make patients feel less stressed and anxious.
Then there is the actual work involved with pet ownership. This entails attending to each person’s specific demands. Creating a daily schedule that includes walks and feeding times can give pet parents who are struggling with their mental health a sense of purpose that impacts other aspects of their lives.
Physical Health Benefits That Pet Ownership Might Bring
It’s easy to see that dogs might help keep us fit, especially when you take the time to walk them around the block, but it’s not just dogs that bring us benefits. You can snuggle up to a rabbit or a cat, and birds encourage socialization. If you’ve ever paid attention to your breathing while focused on an aquarium, you’ve probably noticed a calming effect.
Still, of the research that has been launched, most of it surrounds dogs, and their benefits are our health and well-being. Take a study from 2019, for example. According to the study, dog owners fared better in terms of their health after experiencing a significant cardiovascular event like a heart attack or stroke.
The advantage was greatest for dog owners who were single. Compared to heart attack survivors who did not own a dog, those who owned one and lived alone had a 33% decreased risk of passing away. Stroke patients who lived alone and had a dog had a 27% lower risk of dying.
Summary
While more testing is in order, owning a pet doesn’t seem to provide any negative effects, so it’s easy to go with the positives that have been researched. In the end, it seems that having our pets love us unconditionally might give us the boost we need to live a happier and healthier life.
https://habri.org/
https://pets.webmd.com/how-pets-affect-mental-health
https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIRCOUTCOMES.118.005342