Pets Can Improve Your Mood:
For those who love animals, it’s virtually impossible to stay in a bad
mood when a pair of loving puppy eyes meets yours, or when a super-soft
cat rubs up against your hand. Research supports the mood-enhancing
benefits of pets. A recent study found that men with AIDS were less likely
to suffer from depression if they owned a pet. (According to a
press release, men with AIDS who did not own a pet were about three
times more likely to report symptoms of depression than men who did not
have AIDS. But men with AIDS who had pets were only about 50 percent more
likely to report symptoms of depression, as compared to men in the study
who did not have AIDS.)
Pets Control Blood
Pressure Better Than Drugs:
Yes, it’s true. While ACE inhibiting drugs can generally reduce blood
pressure, they aren’t as effective on controlling spikes in blood pressure
due to stress and tension. However, in a , groups of hypertensive New York
stockbrokers who got dogs or cats were found to have lower blood pressure
and heart rates than those who didn’t get pets. When they heard of the
results, most of those in the non-pet group went out and got pets!
Pets Encourage You To
Get Out And Exercise:
Whether we walk our dogs because they need it, or are more likely to enjoy
a walk when we have companionship, dog owners do than non-pet owners, at
least if we live in an urban setting. Because
exercise is good for stress management and overall health, owning a
dog can be credited with increasing these benefits.
Pets Can Help With
Social Support:
When we’re out walking, having a dog with us can make us more approachable
and give people a reason to stop and talk, thereby increasing the number
of
people we meet, giving us an opportunity to increase our network of
friends and acquaintances, which also has great stress management
benefits.
Pets Stave Off
Loneliness and Provide Unconditional Love:
Pets can be there for you in ways that people can’t. They can offer love
and companionship, and can also enjoy comfortable silences, keep secrets
and are excellent snugglers. And they could be the best antidote to
loneliness. In fact,
research shows that nursing home residents reported less loneliness
when visited by dogs than when they spent time with other people! All
these benefits can reduce the amount of stress people experience in
response to feelings of social isolation and lack of social support from
people.
Pets Can Reduce
Stress—Sometimes More Than People:
While we all know the power of talking about your problems with a good
friend who’s also a
good listener, recent research shows that spending time with a pet may
be even better!
Recent research shows that, when conducting a task that’s stressful,
people actually experienced less stress when their pets were with them
than when a supportive friend or even their spouse was present! (This may
be partially due to the fact that pets don’t judge us; they just love us.)
http://www.secondchanceforanimals.org/benefits_of_pet_ownership.htm
