There is no doubt that pets make our lives better, brighter, and funnier.
It is important to know that no matter what, you are not alone. Pets help you heal and rest and writing helpers give you time for that. When it comes to written assignments, there is always academic paper help by WritePaper for help. You’ll get some time freed up on your schedule to play with your pet, which is known to reduce stress and release happy hormones.
And even if you cannot have an animal at home yet, students can always visit cat cafes or help out local shelters. So they can make a positive change while benefiting from it.
If you are not convinced yet, here are 6 ways animals make human lives better.
Mental Health Relief
Although the scientific research in this area is still new, there is evidence that pets help to overcome or at least reduce mental health problems.
Today no one is surprised by animal therapy or its presence in hospitals. Despite the studies’ limitations, there are significant benefits to our well-being from interacting with pets. Not only do they help to reduce stress but also can assist with serious disorders. Here is how:
- Studies showed that petting a rabbit or a turtle relieves anxiety in adults (“Anxiety, Stress & Coping”, vol.16, 2003 – issue 4);
- Taking care of a pet helps to be less depressed. In one study elderly were given a cage with crickets to care for and it reduced their depression symptoms in them (“Gerontology”, vol.62/2,2016 – 200-6);
- Interacting with horses reduced symptoms of PTSD in children and adolescents (“Front Psychol, 2015,6);
- Being surrounded by aquariums with colorful fish helped patients with Alzheimer’s to focus, eat more, and feel better (“Western Journal of Nursing Research” 2002, 24(6)).
These are just some of the findings, there are many more to come. The studies also suggest that reading to dogs helps children that struggle with this activity to perform better and feel less anxious. And interaction with guinea pigs is linked to children on the autism spectrum being more sociable, smiling, and laughing.
Also, they can make anyone’s mood better, whether you are petting your dog or watching cat videos.
Physical Health
Pets can heal us in unpredictable ways. For example, interaction with animals allows reducing cortisol and blood pressure. Even the people that have borderline hypertension experience significant relief in blood pressure levels after adopting a dog.
Having a dog is linked to loss of weight and a more active lifestyle. It is easy to see why – a person needs to walk the dog several times a day, which adds necessary movement. Playing with dogs has the same effect, especially when it is outside.
But there are unexpected ways animals can help with human health. Recent research proved that caring for fish helps teenagers with diabetes to better treat their condition. Constantly taking care of other creatures promotes mindfulness and a particular kind of organizational skill. Those are very useful for regularly checking glucose levels, for instance.
Generally, pet owners have lower indicators of heart diseases and survive longer after a heart attack than people without pets. Also, after 65 years they experience better health because they have 30% fewer visits to doctors or hospitals.
Companionship and Friendship
Besides all the body and mind benefits, animals are great companions. They love us unconditionally and accept us the way we are. The dogs are particularly good at it as they are always present. And they feel when a person struggles emotionally and physically and try to help.
But caring for any living creature makes one feel less lonely and isolated. It is not a secret that a lot of people talk to their pets, sometimes even vent out their problems. And it does help as one doesn’t bottle it all up.
It is, of course, important to mention service animals. Those that help people with disabilities are especially crucial in people’s lives. They help their humans to function in society and enjoy things that could not be accessed otherwise.
Empathy and Care
When you introduce a new family member into your home, you invest your time and energy in building a relationship with it. It helps to build emotional intelligence, develop a more empathetic worldview, and learn how to care about others.
And these skills transfer to human interactions as well. For instance, cat owners proved to be more socially sensitive (“Psychology Reports”, 52/1). They tend to put more trust in others and simply like other people more. Even if you do not own a cat but only watch videos with cats, you are going to feel more supported by other people.
Positive feelings evoke positive feelings. So when you feel happy about your cat or dog, you are more prone to view people positively and be happy about life.
Structure and Meaning
The human brain and body thrive on routines. It is exactly what owning a pet adds to your life. No matter what animal it is, it probably needs a specific regime. You need to feed it, walk it, interact with it, or clean up its living space regularly.
This is extremely helpful for people that suffer from stress, anxiety, or depression as well. Sometimes it is easier to take care of others than take care of yourself. One will have to get up and do something for their friends with tails. As result, they will feel better about themselves.
Another strong advantage of caring for an animal is that it brings joy and meaning to life, especially to the elderly. People that leave alone and are retired might struggle with finding a purpose. But adopting a pet will bring the sense of meaning back.
Communication
Another way animals make people more connected is their ability to bring us together. If you want to meet new people it is always easier through your four-paw friend. People meet in the dog parks and they usually have something to talk about.
They can also meet at events for pet owners. Or even showing someone a picture of your pet can break the ice. When it is appropriate, of course.
Two dog-lovers will always find a subject for a conversation. But even if one of you has fish and the other owns a bird, you’ll likely have a lot to chat about.
In Summary
Owning a pet is beneficial in terms of mental and physical health. The studies show that the positive influence of such interaction is important even for patients with serious disorders. From reducing stress and anxiety to overcoming PTSD symptoms, animals make human lives so much better.
They bring us joy, stress relief, and a feeling of companionship. They can make our lives better simply by being around and present at the moment. But also by helping people to meaningfully connect to others.
