Have you ever noticed that you feel better when you’re around your pet? It’s true. Spending quality time with a dog, cat or other animal can have a positive impact on your mood and your health. Pets can be calming stress-fighters. Pets can help you in other ways too.
1 – Stress soothers
Petting your cat or dog feels good. It can lower your blood pressure, helps your body release a relaxation hormone, and cuts down on levels of a stress hormone. It also soothes your pet.
2 – Pets improve relationships
Young adults with a deep bond to their pets felt more connected in their relationships and to their communities than those who did not have animals in a recent study published in the Journal of Applied Developmental Science. They were more likely to take on leadership roles and tended to be more confident and empathetic.
3 – Pets boost your self-esteem
Pets are completely non-judgmental, don’t have an agenda, take you at face value, and they don’t care what you look like or how you behave—they love unconditionally, and that boost self-esteem. Confidence can be improved by the fact that dogs love you no matter what, and to the same extent, cats are very loving to their owners.
4 – They both distract you and keep you present
Being present and engaged with your pet takes your thoughts off the issues that are plaguing you. When you are fully in the moment, you are not worrying about the past or the future. It’s just you and your pet. Another way to keep distracted and present with your furry friend is to take photos or videos of his or her cute antics.
5 – They can give you a purpose
Having a pet to care for can give you a feeling of purpose, which can be crucial when you are feeling really down and overwhelmed by negative thoughts. By caring for your pet, you are focusing on something other than yourself and your life. Your good deeds, and your pet’s positive response, will give you a feeling of instant gratification.
6 – They make you smile
When your dog does cute things like rolling on his back or putting a paw up on your arm, he can make you smile, which in turn triggers neurotransmitters to fire. These pet-time smiles can raise your serotonin and dopamine levels, which are nerve transmitters associated with calmness and happiness.
7 – They take you out of the daily grind, even for a moment
The daily grind can wear you down. If you come home to an empty house, you’re more likely to feel it. There’s this feeling of all work and no play, and you really do become dull and bored. While there is a routine, you forget what it was like to have fun. This is especially the case as children grow up or as you get swamped under more projects at work. You struggle to find the enjoyment in life. Pets won’t let that happen. They want attention, and they need fun. They want you to play with them and will pester you until you do it.
8 – Reduce the risk of allergies, not create them!
Studies have shown that people who grow up around dogs, cats, or farm animals have the best benefits. They gained stronger immune systems in the future, which means they are also more likely to fight off some of the most common infections and will have a lower risk of developing respiratory infections.
9 – Improve Your Fitness
When you have a dog especially, you need to walk them. With other pets, you need to play games and will get other forms of exercise. This helps you burn more calories throughout the day. With dog walking, you can boost your body fitness, which also helps to kick up your metabolic rate a notch. You’ll find it easier to burn more calories throughout the day without having to do more exercise. You get the recommended levels of fitness. Of course, this makes you feel good, and you want to do more fitness.
10 – Pets are a lot easier to hug than a person
Let’s face it, many teens aren’t all that affectionate. But a pet can turn that around. Whether it’s a bark or a meow, animals are notorious for demanding and getting attention. It’s hard for a teen to ignore that brush against the leg, nudge to cuddle or a lick that says, “I love you.” That’s all the more important when teens aren’t feeling as much love from their human peers.
