Since the ancient days, pets provided comfort, friendship, and motivation for their owners. However, many owners are not familiar that they offer additional benefits to their health and well-being.
For instance, dogs encourage and inspire owners to exercise, especially when walking accompanied by them. Exercise is a form of calming the body while regulating stress levels. Also, caring for pets ensures a purposeful day since they can make you feel appreciated, elevating your mood.
Pets also provide mental health benefits by alleviating symptoms of depression, anxiety, and other mental-related disorders. All these benefits occur due to the attributes of the pet effect.
The term pet effect, also referred to as the human-animal bond, involves mutually beneficial associations among pet lovers creating a positive impact on health and well-being. Anyone owning a pet will always testify to the many benefits that accompany them, such as continuous companionship and affection.
Research on How Pet Effect Impacts Human Health
Information from researchers also indicates there are several ways in which pets affect the human body. Pets make people happy, decreasing heart rates and promoting better health. They also regulate different brain chemicals that control our moods and memory, such as serotonin, oxytocin, dopamine, and adrenaline.
Researchers also indicate a negligible action like observing a fish swimming, can significantly improve mood, enhance relaxation, and minimize anxiety.
Surprisingly about 95 percent of pet owners count their animals as family members, which is crucial for boosting health.
Studies Proving the Benefits of Pets on Mental Health
A survey reported that 74 percent of pet owners had improved mental health. Another 75 percent stated their family members or friends experienced better mental health by just living with pets. Therefore, such findings only indicate how the presence of pets promotes healthy mental states in people.
Positive interactions with humans and animals are linked with alterations to their physiological variables, including decreased individual psychological issues. Scientific studies also show that these biological reactions have considerable medical effects.
For instance, professional pet therapy can relieve depression, stress, anxiety, and other mood-related symptoms, including social isolation.
Additionally, a particular 2016 research surveyed whether pets impacted social networks for long-term mental health disorders patients. The results indicated that pets offer security awareness, and perceptions significantly affected emotional and social support. Overall, results showed that:
- Pet effect can facilitate friendship development, including social network support.
- Pets provide security by creating order and steadiness to personal experiences, including a sense of importance in life.
- Schizophrenic patients with hallucinations and suicidal thoughts benefit from pets since they disrupt such upsetting symptoms.
- Generally, this survey indicates that pets are the primary security sources and support for managing long-lasting mental health issues.
Final Thoughts about the Pet Effect
Having a pet in your home is essential for mental and physical health. If you are concerned more about their benefits, you can visit a rehab center near you and inquire whether they offer pet therapy services. Most rehab providers use pet therapy to address and manage mental health conditions.
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