1. Helps You Get Rid Of Stress
No matter if it‘s work, family or friends, any problem can make you feel less stressed with the help of a pet. As research has found, veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), stressed out medical students, and anxious children are just a few groups that experience less stress in the presence of a pet.
After all, how can you be sad with a soul that loves you exactly for who you are and never judges you?
2. Makes You Go Out More
We live in the era of loneliness where we go out less and less. Even if you don’t own a dog that needs to be walked daily, your cat or turtle will make you want to go out more. Firstly, you’ll feel more connected to nature; secondly, because your stress levels are reduced and you feel more loved, you will be more enthusiastic about new activities!
3. Boosts Your Heart Health
Naturally, pet owners have reduced cardiovascular risks mainly because they need to walk their pet daily and play with it – therefore they have more physical activity than others. In a 2007 study performed out of UCLA, researchers provided therapy dogs for patients hospitalized with heart failure. They found that after a 12-minute visit, patients exhibited improved cardiopulmonary pressures, healthier neurohormone levels, and less anxiety.
4. Fights Allergies
According to a 2011 study published in Clinical & Experimental Allergy, children who grow up with a cat or dog in the home are less likely to be allergic to them later in life, but only if the pet was present when they were infants. Those who grew up with cats were half as likely to develop allergies toward them as teenagers compared to those who grew up in cat-free homes.
5. Promotes Social Interaction
A 2015 study published in the journal, PLoS One found that pet owners were more likely than non-pet owners to meet neighbors they had never met before, supporting previous research that suggests pets serve as ‘ice-breakers.’ Dog owners were most likely to form new friendships, particularly while walking their dogs, but the study suggests other pets, such as cats, rabbits, and snakes, can foster connections as well.
6. Improves Emotional Health
Emotionally healthy people are resilient, self-confident, and capable of developing strong, healthy relationships. Interestingly, a 2011 study reported in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology found that pet owners shared many of these same characteristics. Compared to non-pet owners, researchers found pet owners to have higher self-esteem, be more extraverted and less lonely, be less preoccupied, and be less fearful of everyday life challenges.
7. Keeps Us Present
Pets serve as constant reminders to live in the moment because it is the only way they know how to live. While us humans ruminate over the past and worry about the future, pets simply live in the here and now. Their focus is on whatever is directly in front of them. Next time you’re on a walk with your dog or sitting quietly with your cat, remember to stop, look around, and take in the beauty of the moment.