Why You Should Get a Pet

Source: David Feldman

About a year ago, amid all the ongoing problems in our world and some personal stresses and strains in my own life, I decided to adopt a cat. He’s super cute: gray, with stripes and a white belly. He’s also a menace. A little over a year old, he’s a kitten inside a full-grown cat’s body. But, I have to say, whether he’s curled up in my lap or stalking me from across the room, he’s super charming.

Recently, a friend who hadn’t seen me in a while made an interesting observation. “You seem calmer and happier than usual,” she said. You see, I’m a somewhat anxious person, something I learned to accept about myself a long time ago. I’m almost always stressed out about something, and there’s certainly plenty to be stressed out about in our world right now. So, her comment was unexpected. But, the more I thought about it, the more I realized it was true. Since my new furry friend pounced into my life, I’ve been happier.

Now, I’m not saying that having a pet is some kind of panacea. It’s not as if the world’s problems are going to magically disappear if everyone gets a cat or dog. Nor are the problems in my own life. I wish it were that simple. And, of course, not everybody likes animals, which is perfectly fine. But, nonetheless, it’s something most pet owners know: We don’t only help our pets. They also help us.

And that’s not just my opinion. It’s backed by science.

So, here are four ways—according to research—that pets help improve their humans’ mental health:

1. The Stress Buffer With Dander

There’s something powerfully stress-relieving about cuddling with my cat. In fact, a study from researchers at Washington State University found that just 10 minutes with a pet can do the trick. In their study, 249 college students were randomly assigned to one of four conditions. The first group got to actually hang out with cats and dogs for 10 minutes. The second group watched others pet the animals while waiting in line for their turn. The third group merely looked at pictures of the animals. And, the final group was “waitlisted”; in other words, they just sat there and waited until the study was over. In all the groups, researchers took samples of participants’ saliva over time to measure their levels of cortisol, a hormone indicating stress. And the results were relatively straightforward: Those who actually got to meet the animals showed the greatest drop in cortisol. By the way, this is only one of many studies showing that pets help with stress. So, next time you’re stressed, one of the most effective things you can do might be to spend some time with a furry creature.

2. Fuzzy Little Matchmakers

Pets—but particularly dogs—can bring people together. When we walk our furry companions, others tend to stop, say hi, and introduce their animals to ours. That’s what a study headed by researchers from the University of Western Australia found. They conducted a phone survey in four cities in Australia and the United States—Perth, San Diego, Portland, and Nashville—and found that pet owners were 60 percent more likely to get to know people in their neighborhood than those who didn’t own pets. Participants even indicated that these interactions often turned into friendships. But—sorry cat people—in three of the four cities, dog owners were the ones who benefited most from these effects. So, I guess that’s just incentive to take our cats on walks.

3. Personal Trainers Who Stop to Pee on Fire Hydrants

In addition to meeting our neighbors, getting out of the house to walk our pets can also impact our physical and mental health. The American Heart Association, for instance, has highlighted the role of pets (and, again, particularly dogs) in promoting physical activity, which can play a role in heart health. But, it can also improve our mood by releasing endorphins, which makes us feel good. Of course, we don’t need pets to get exercise. Dozens of studies not involving pets show that regular exercise can have real effects on depression. In fact, two recent meta-analyses (large studies combining the data from many smaller studies) show that exercise has relatively large effects on alleviating depressed mood. Of course, when we’re depressed, we may not feel like getting out, and that’s where pets come in. Having a dog bug us until we take them on a walk can be just the encouragement we need.

4. Party Planners With Tails

Walking a pet can get us moving. But it does something else, too: It gives us a routine. Most animals—whether we’re talking about dogs, cats, hamsters, or anything else—are creatures of habit. They have to be fed on time, provided regular play and activities, and even tend to sleep on a schedule. This encourages us to have a daily routine, as well. And routine is something often recommended by mental health professionals. A number of studies show that regularizing our waking and sleeping times, for instance, can help with insomnia, one of the most common conditions people bring to psychotherapy offices. In fact, regularizing our schedules is a technique used in cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia, probably the most researched psychotherapy for sleep problems. Standardizing our schedules has also been shown to be helpful in bipolar disorder and depression, as well as other conditions. In other words, caring for an animal can provide predictably, stability, and even a sense of purpose, all of which many of our lives could use more of. I try to remind myself of this when the cat wakes me up every morning at 6 a.m. sharp by sitting on my face.

So, our fuzzy friends can be powerful allies in our quest for well-being. From helping reduce stress to providing companionship and even helping improve physical health, the benefits of having pets are backed by science. Although pets aren’t necessarily going to solve all our problems, they may provide a little relief. That’s certainly been my experience. Which is good, because the cat isn’t going to leave me alone anyway.