Our pets bring us a lot of pleasure and joy in everyday life, but it turns out that they are also excellent allies for our health. Indeed, scientific studies have shown that living with a pet has a positive impact on our physical and mental health.
Pet owners are said to have fewer health problems than those who don't. They are less likely to suffer from high blood pressure, cholesterol or cardiovascular disorders. In addition, pets also have known anti-stress virtues. We've compiled the 10 most compelling reasons why you should get a pet.
They facilitate social contact
Pets are known to promote social interactions and help their owners bond with other people! This makes pet owners more likely to get to know their neighbors and socialize. This also makes them more likely to seek help from those around them: simple moral support or a little help from neighbors in case something goes wrong.
Dogs, man's best friends, are especially known for their ability to combat isolation: not only because they are loyal companions, but also because they facilitate contact with other people. On the street, in the park, with other dog owners or with children pulling them, dogs are human magnets.
Since isolation and social exclusion can literally make us sick and lead to mental health problems, pets can be a great help, especially for the elderly and people who live alone.
They help people lose weight
Of all pets, dogs are the most capable of keeping their owners in good shape. They walk an average of 30 minutes more per week than people who don't have a pet. Walking your dog 20 minutes a day 5 days a week can make you lose 6 pounds in a year.
It also seems, although not yet proven, that cat owners would also exercise more than others. The main reason? The cat, by its behavior, would communicate its energy to the owner and give him or her more enthusiasm to exercise!
Better stress management
Pet owners cope better with stress. According to some studies, there is indeed a link between the presence of a pet on the one hand and low stress levels and low blood pressure on the other hand.
Thus, having a dog seems to have a positive effect on the autonomic nervous system: in dog owners, the parasympathetic nervous system shows higher activity, while the activity of the sympathetic nervous system is reduced. As a result, dog owners react less to stress.
They protect children from diseases
Living with a dog that spends at least part of the day outside can boost a child's immune system in the first year of life. Cats also appear to offer this protection, although the observed effect was weaker. Children who live with pets would actually need antibiotics less often than other children.
Likewise, babies living with companion dogs would be less prone to respiratory infections and their risk of allergies would be reduced by 33%.
They promote the psychological development of children
Pets not only affect the health of our children, but also play a major role in their psychomotor and emotional development.
Studies have shown that pets help develop a sense of responsibility in young children. Taking care of an animal, feeding it, walking it, petting it and loving it helps children to increase their self-confidence. The pet also represents at the same time a confidant, a playmate, a collaborator.
The pet is also a calming and reassuring element for the little ones and has a stabilizing effect on their psychological development.
They promote good heart health
Petting a cat, dog or any other furry animal generally gives us a sense of well-being and immediately calms us down: breathing slows down, blood pressure and heart rate drop, which greatly reduces the risk of developing a heart disease.
Note, however, that conversely, a poorly trained pet with behavioral disorders will have the opposite effect and increase the risk of having a heart attack.
They help teenagers
The teenage years are never an easy time. Many parents are helpless in the face of their teenagers, who sometimes have incomprehensible or withdrawn behavior. Pets are recognized as a structuring element of the personality of young people. While a teenager may not want to trust an adult, he or she will always find a comforting "ear" in a pet. Additionally, one study found that teenagers with pets exercised more than others.
They calm us down
Interactions with our animal friends lower the level of cortisol, the stress hormone, in the body. 57% of cat owners believe that cat scratching can be more effective than medication. This calming effect can be scientifically explained: the frequency of scratching air is said to have a calming effect, just like music, which gave rise to music therapy.
They increase life expectancy
Pets help the sick heal and the elderly feel better. Their presence is thus increasingly required in nursing homes or specialized centers that use pet therapy to help their patients.
Pet therapy consists of using the proximity of a pet or companion animal to a person suffering from a mental, physical or social disorder to reduce the stress or consequences of medical treatment.
Fewer medical visits
An apple a day keeps the doctor away. Everyone knows this famous saying. What if the same were true with pets? It seems that pet owners rarely need a doctor.
A study in Germany and Australia has shown that starting from an equivalent state of health, after 5 years, pet owners need a doctor less often than people without pets. Those who had a pet during that time had fewer visits to the doctor.
Translated by scientificorigin.com