Blog #4 – How do pet’s affect human’s mental/physical health?

Hello everyone! Today I will be talking about another main question that I have been wondering about. The question I will be talking about is How do pet’s affect human’s mental and physical health?

To begin, I will be explaining the benefits of pets, and there are many that are positive for humans mental and physical health. Though most feel happy and joyful when being around a pet, the actual mental and physical health imporvement they gain is remarkable. Pets can undertsand when their owners are sad, stressed out, or ill, and this casues them to be more careful and caring around a person. It is unknown to why they can realise their owners are not feeling “normal” but it is known to be a fact. All pets can imporve cardiovascular health due to the amount of “playtime” a pet may require. Studies have shown that those with pets are less likely to suffer from a far more severe depression then a person without a pet. They are also known to create elevated elvels of serotonina and dopamine within the body which are chemical and drugs within the body that create a sense of calmness. (1). Pets are known to increase life rates for anyone in any age. Creating children to become happier, and giving elders a sense of safety and joyfulness.

Another list of benefits and why many animals create a strong mental health for their owners and humans in general begins with the emotional attachtment both the pet and the owner gain when being with eachother for a long period of time(2). This also shows why our companions feel so relaxed all the time. Animals provide more social awareness for a person creating their owners to have a social life (most times). The presence of animals can also help a person who may not have trust in many to gain a better feeling to willingly trust others as it is known for animals to create a sense of responsibility in a person as well as trust. However, animals do not actually create that willingness for others to start trusting more, the feeling and sense they cause around a person pushes one to create a “better version” of themselves. (3).

Having a pet is known to be a large responsibility and a main reason to why many avoid wanting one; however, when one gets a pet, they are automatically keen to becoming more active due to the amount of work a pet will need in order to keep their energy down inside of the house/ in rooms. Doctors reports have shown a 30% increase in physical activity in patients with pets, and as we all know, being physically active will also create a healthier state of mental health for a person as working out is a great way to release stress, and working out with a pet creates double the effectiveness!! (4). Now going into the mental health part rather than physical health, the ways a pet is beneficial is that they create a sense of  never being alone, because you never will be. Pets have also been knwon to improve the health of those disorders such as kids with autism, as they have influence and show a child how to form a bond, and how to value and create more bonds and friendships in the future! (5)

Overall, animals help lots becasue they create a healthier body, and help humans unlock more emotions which help heal ones mental health if it is damaged! thank you for reading my blog for today!!

Sources 

(1).   Robinson, L., Lundgren, kai, & Segal, R. (2017). The health and mood boosting benefits of pets. Retrieved December 2, 2022, from https://www.helpguide.org/articles/mental-health/mood-boosting-power-of-dogs.htm.

(2).  Hennemann, J., Schafer, S., sopp, R., & Michael, T. (2022, January 3). The relationship between attachment to pet’s mental health and the shared link attachments to humans. Retrieved December 2, 2022, from https://bmcpsychiatry.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12888-022-04199-1.

(3)   Mueller, M. K. (2019, May). How the prescence of pet’s builds trust amoung people. Retrieved December 2, 2022, from https://theconversation.com/how-the-presence-of-pets-builds-trust-among-people-176769

(4) Protection Program , C. (2019, May). The cat’s out of the bag: Animals play a big role in boosting our mental health. Retrieved December 2, 2022, from https://www.cpp.ca/blog/the-cats-out-of-the-bag-animals-play-a-big-role-in-boosting-our-mental-health/

(5).   SPCA, O. (2018, January 31). Benefit’s of pets for our mental health. Retrieved December 2, 2022, from https://ontariospca.ca/blog/benefits-of-pets-for-our-mental-health/