They excitedly welcome us when we get home, comfort us when feeling down, and motivate us when feeling lazy.
Our furry friends greatly enrich our lives by dramatically improving our physical and mental health.
Research continues to demonstrate how deeply connected we are with animals around us and how much we rely on them for well-being.
Read on to learn more about the magical healing power of pets.
The Companionship Effect
A large Meta-analysis published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology found social isolation significantly increases the risk of dying in humans.
Companionship plays a vital role in our health and longevity. For the elderly, ill, disabled, or those living alone, animal companionship can provide much-needed social support and interaction.
Pets help address three fundamental human needs – consistency, emotional connection, and physical touch.
Unlike human interactions, relationships with animals tend to be much simpler.
A dog will love you no matter what you look like that day or what mistakes you have made in life.
The straightforward companionship of a pet can greatly reduce loneliness and give feelings of purpose and unconditional love.
Mood Booster
Have you ever noticed your bad mood instantly lifting when you play with a friendly puppy or kitten?
Interacting with animals has a clear mood-boosting effect by lowering stress hormones like cortisol and increasing “feel-good” hormones like oxytocin, prolactin, and dopamine.
Petting a dog or cat helps relax both the animal and human, reduces anxiety, and brings laughter and joy into focus.
A recent study involving over 11,000 university students globally found pet ownership provided measurable protection against psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Companion animals helped participants cope with the loneliness, disconnection, and uncertainty brought on by lockdowns and isolation.
Motivation for Better Health Choices
Research shows pet owners often make better lifestyle choices regarding diet, exercise, tobacco, and alcohol use compared to non-owners.
Dog owners, especially, tend to weigh less, get more exercise, eat better, and are less likely to smoke compared to those without canine companions.
The responsibilities of caring for an animal encourage healthier routines and choices.
Going for regular walks, playing fetch, cleaning up after pets, and vet visits all require more physical activity than watching Netflix.
The affection and loyalty pets provide can motivate us to be better versions of ourselves. After all, our fur babies depend on us for their welfare!
Physical Activity Increases
The American Heart Association recommends adults get at least 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity to help prevent cardiovascular disease. Unfortunately, over 80% of American adults don’t reach this goal. Dog owners, however, fare much better – getting on average 30 minutes more exercise per week than non-dog owners.
A dog’s natural enthusiasm for walks, play, and greeting people motivates human movement.
This increased activity helps combat obesity, lower blood pressure, strengthen bones/muscles, and prevent many chronic illnesses.
Those 30 minutes with Fido could add years to your life!
Infection Fighter
Believe it or not, exposure to animals may help strengthen the immune system against certain illnesses.
Multiple studies demonstrate children who grow up in a home with pets have lower rates of allergies and asthma compared to those raised without.
Early animal interaction seems to help develop the immune system to better distinguish between harmless and harmful triggers.
Infants living with pets like dogs and cats also have fewer illnesses their first year compared to pet-free babies.
Researchers speculate microbes and bacteria youngsters encounter while playing and cuddling with furry friends may positively influence immune system maturation and resilience.
Of course, proper hygiene around animals is also essential, especially for those with compromised immunity.
Medical Alert Assistance
Some dogs and cats can be trained to detect subtle scent changes that warn of certain medical conditions.
Seizure alert dogs can notify owners hours before a seizure by smelling chemicals the human body releases beforehand.
Diabetic alert dogs can detect small blood chemistry variations signaling highs and lows in blood sugar before meters do.
Other animals can also pick up on heart abnormalities, dizziness onset, migraines, or low blood sugar based on scents, alerting handlers to take preventative action.
This early warning can allow people to get to safety, take medication, or get timely help to minimize health risks and complications..
It’s nothing short of amazing what service animals can sense in our bodies that technology can’t.
Stress Relief
Daily life confronts us with many stressful situations – commuting headaches, workplace pressures, financial strain, social conflicts.
Persistent or exaggerated stress takes a real toll on the body if not mitigated through proper self-care activities.
Here our animal friends come to the rescue again by lowering stress hormones and easing tension in remarkable ways.
Petting or stroking an animal soothes the nervous system, slows breathing/heart rate, relaxes muscles, normalizes blood pressure, and promotes an overall sense of calm.
The companionship animals offer serves as a secure emotional anchor to help weather turbulent storms.
Caring for a pet also refocuses attention away from our own worries onto another living being that depends on us.
They ground us in the present moment and bring more peace and balance back into stressed-out lives.
Better Cardiovascular Health
As both wet-nosed stress relievers and physical activity motivators, pets confer some rather impressive cardiovascular benefits according to medical research. Dog owners in particular exhibit significant reductions in heart disease risk factors:
- 11% lower blood triglyceride levels
- 5 mmHg lower resting blood pressure readings on average
- Improved autonomic tone regulation by the nervous system
- Enhanced heart rate recovery following exercise
- Increased circulation and oxygenation
For patients recovering from a cardiac event, having a pet to care for dramatically boosts survival rates and speeds up rehabilitation.
Heart patients living with a canine or feline companion heal faster, get back on their feet quicker, and have fewer subsequent heart attacks and related complications.
Something as simple as having a devoted dog snuggled at the foot of the bed every night works magic for the heart.
Better Emotional Resilience
Thanks to the reassuring presence of pets in our homes buffering against loneliness and the positive mood enhancement associated with animal interactions, pet owners tend to have better coping skills and emotional resilience overall.
Several studies substantiate this mental health advantage.
University students surveyed demonstrated less vulnerability for mental distress with the emotional support of a trusted pet.
Children from single-parent, pet-owning homes showed higher self-esteem, maturity, independence and effective problem-solving abilities even after controlling for income disparities. Nursing home dementia patients exhibited improved socialization tendencies and self-feeding capabilities in the presence of visiting animal therapy dogs.
Pets strengthen our internal capacity for adapting to major life stressors and foster emotional skills that aid in healthy development and aging even under less-than-ideal circumstances.
Memory Boost
Playing with and caring for pets seems to work wonders at keeping our brains more youthful and combating cognitive decline as we get older.
An interesting study asked groups of older individuals to perform short-term memory and problem-solving tasks first without any distractions present.
When later repeating the mental tests while petting live cats and dogs, participants consistently scored better across all measures of cognitive function.
Researchers believe interacting with animals stimulates the release of powerful neurochemicals in the brain like dopamine and serotonin associated with increased motivation, pleasure, and attention skills.
The joy and sensory stimulation coming from pets somehow primes our minds for improved memory, focus and overall mental performance – something prescription medications fail to accomplish.
5 love lessons our faithful furry companions teach us 🐶❤️
* Unconditional love: Dogs love us without reservation, regardless of our imperfections. Their affection is pure and constant. 🥰
* Unwavering loyalty: Dogs are loyal companions, always by our side through good times and bad. Their loyalty is inspiring. 🐕
* Forgive and forget: Dogs hold no grudges. Even if we make mistakes, they’re always ready to shower us with love and kisses. 😅
* Live in the present: Dogs enjoy every moment, without worrying about the past or future. They teach us to cherish the now. 🐾
* Genuine empathy: Dogs are attuned to our emotions. They comfort us when we’re sad and celebrate our happiness. 🤗
All of these valuable lessons in addition to the benefits mentioned above.
The pure affection and unconditional friendship pets bring into our daily lives profoundly enrich physical health, emotional well-being, stress-coping abilities, immune function, and cognitive longevity.
Both animals and humans benefit in truly profound ways from these special cross-species bonds that have evolved between mankind and beasts for centuries.
As science continues delving deeper into the human-animal connection, we keep discovering amazing symbiotic links critical for our mutual health and happiness.
Overall, living life accompanied by a devoted pet or two makes for longer, less stressed, healthier and more meaningful journeys for all parties involved.
So do yourself and some desperate shelter animals a life-saving favor by adopting a pet to be your loving companion for years to come.
You won’t regret opening your heart and home to share in these most special and therapeutic of relationships.
Let the healing begin!
Want to learn more about the mental and physical benefits of pet ownership?
Please don’t hesitate to call my office today to schedule your initial consultation where we can explore if an animal friend would be a right fit for your health goals and lifestyle.
Make an appointment with Dr. Benejam today by calling (561) 376-9699 / (305) 981-6434.
