It’s now confirmed. Pet owners are mentally healthier than non-pet owners. What is it in owning a pet that improves one’s mental health? When down, pet owners cuddle their deary friends few times. They feel the effect afterwards as their mood changes instantly.
And guess what, owning a pet teaches you the most important relationship lesson too – that you can enjoy your partner from an emotional distance, without fooling yourself into thinking they can be something that they can never be.
You don’t expect your pet to spell out your name one day, do you? I know you don’t. You know very well that your pet is a dumb (or maybe slightly intelligent, but nowhere near compared to you) animal and it will remain so for the rest of its life. You accept your pet the way it is. As you consciously acknowledge its limitations, you have realistic expectations from your pet. Having the same expectations from your partner can you make your relationship work like a charm.
But anyways, this is not a relationship advice. This article rather sums up the benefits of owning a pet. So, let’s get down to the business.
Benefit 1: Lower stress level
The biggest advantage of owning a pet is that it keeps your stress level down; down to the bottom. Modern life is full of stress. Long work-hours, unpaid credit debts, workplace worries – all lead to stress. Stress leads to anxiety and anxiety causes a number of health problems.
Having a pet and playing with it can help you relax. Such a relaxing and positive environment is the antidote to stress. Pets can even sense the presence of stress in their owners. When they do, they clasp and circle their owners in order to brighten their mood. Positive emotions, akin to negative emotions, are contagious. The pet’s positivity transfers to its owner and his stress level goes down.
This is not a baseless hypothesis. Studies show pet owners have low cholesterol compared to non-pet owners. And the vicinity of a pet in times of stress prevents blood pressure from shooting up.
So, if you have a furry friend, say “Thank You” to it for keeping your stress down.
Benefit 2: Staying physically fit
Owning a pet not only improves one’s mental health, but also physical health. Some pets, especially dogs are outdoor animals and love physical activities. When outside, they won’t let you rest even for a moment. They love receiving play signals from owners, love jumping around and chasing a frisbee.
Pets are not like adult humans. They are like a 2 year olds at best. They want to be in a state of keen excitement every time, just like a human child. To keep pace with their playfulness, owners not only have to spend a lot of time outside, but do a lot of exercising and moving around. That’s impromptu cardio workout for them and keep them fit.
Some health experts offer a seemingly ridiculous explanation of why owning a pet makes one’s immune system function better. According to these experts, pets expose their owners to several strains of germs – none of them life-threatening. Small exposure makes owners immune to these germs. A wayward explanation, but some pet owners might buy it.
Better 3: Companionship
Humans turn against other humans. Pets? Never. Dogs, even the most ferocious breeds don’t normally go against their owners. Birds, horses and few other household pets are also extremely loyal. Because pets are loyal, their owners find a companion in them. To people who are otherwise lonely, pets offer the companionship that many of them secretly and not-so-secretly long for.
Pets bring companionship in our lives in more ways than just one. The number of pet owners is steadily increasing in United States. Meaning there’s a good chance for you to bump into a fellow pet owner during a leisurely stroll in the evening with your four-legged friend. As you two meet and exchange words, you get to know each other. This is a great way for you to increase your social circle.
Hollywood movies are infamous for delivering tropes after tropes. But there’s one trope that’s very close to reality; having a pet escalates your odds of meeting an attractive pet owner from the opposite gender and develop great chemistry with that person.
Benefit 4: Positive environment for kids
Kids enjoy the company of pets, mainly because they love playing all day long and a pet can be their partner in crime. Kids can also relate easily to pets as as mentioned before; pets have a personality like a toddler.
Parents can help their kids form a meaningful relationship with pets – by telling their kids how to take care of them and what not to do around them. Lessons learned early in the childhood are remembered forever. This is why kids, who grow up with pets, act in less selfish ways later in life.
There’s a side benefit too. Your pet will keep its eyes at your kid and protect him if need be. The pet-kid combination is so great that parents just can’t resist themselves from making one after another YouTube videos that show they are playing merrily together.
So…
So, now you know the benefits of keeping a pet. But guess what, I am not yet done listing all the benefits. This article is the first. Stay tuned for my next article in which I will discuss four more benefits. Until then, goodbye.
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