If I told you that there’s one thing that provides you with all the following benefits, would you rush right out and get it?
- More active lifestyle
- Lower blood pressure
- Lower cholesterol
- Significant decrease in heart disease/heart attack
- Lower likelihood of depression
- Lower anxiety levels
- Lower BMI
- Increased social interaction
- Stronger immune system
- Fewer allergies
- Stronger bones
There are more benefits – I didn’t want to wear you out with the exhaustive list. As you look at that list of 11 benefits, how many of them would you like to achieve? You can get them all – get a pet. Oh, you already have one? Yay, you! Then you’re already reaping the mental and physical benefits of sharing your life with a living being who depends on you. If you’re not already a pet owner, this is an impressive list of benefits, and you should still be sure that your life can support a pet before you add one. They are completely dependent on you, which means you’ll give up space, time, and money. Take it from a life-long dog owner, they’re expensive and messy and sometimes inconvenient, and they’re worth it all.
Pets – scaled, finned, feathered, or furred – all provide the above benefits, and all add a dimension to your life that’s often unexpected. They’re wonderful teachers of how to live in the moment because that’s where they live. As far as researchers know, animals’ brains don’t spend nearly as much time as human brains do thinking about the past and the future. They live in the now – is there water in the water bowl? Is there a sunbeam to nap in? If their needs are met, pets are contented. If not, depending on the pet, havoc can ensue. Maybe you’ve seen videos of dogs eating a couch or cats excavating the drywall? Those were pets whose needs weren’t being met. Remember before you add a pet to your life that you need to understand their nutritional, environmental, and physical needs, including how much mental and physical exercise it will take to keep them from making up their own games, some of which you may not like!
There’s also the feeling of unconditional love that people say they get from their pet. It’s settled science that contentedness and a feeling of connectedness go hand in hand, and that both of those are components of feeling loved and loving. It’s possible that many of the physical benefits of pet ownership come from the chemical admixture that the brain produces when contentment, connectedness, and love are present. Dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin, and endorphins all have stress-lowering effects, which certainly would improve things like mood, blood pressure, and the immune system. Here are three episodes of the world’s second-shortest podcast with ways that a pet can positively impact your life:
Can you love everything and everyone as much as your pet? Here’s a Tiny Bite for that!
Can you talk to yourself like you talk to your pet? Here’s a Tiny Bite for that!
Can you care for yourself like you care for your pet? Here’s a Tiny Bite for that!
I admit to being quite biased on the subject of pets – just ask my two dogs, Kacey and Archie. I’m not trying to convince you to become a pet owner if you don’t want to be, just to give you a little nudge if you’ve been on the fence. And if, like me, you’re a dyed-in-the-wool pet lover, here’s to our health!
Wags,
Sandy Weaver
Program Director, Center for Workplace Happiness
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