How Owning a Dog or Cat Can Reduce Stress
By Elizabeth Scott, MS
Updated June 16, 2019
When thinking of ways to
reduce stress in life, usually techniques like meditation, yoga, and journaling
come to mind. These are great techniques, to be sure. But getting a new best
friend can also have many stress relieving and health benefits. While human
friends provide great social support and come with some fabulous benefits, this
article focuses on the benefits of furry friends: cats and dogs! Research shows
that, unless you’re someone who really dislikes animals or is absolutely too
busy to care for one properly, pets can provide excellent social support,
stress relief, and other health benefits—perhaps more than people! The
following are more health benefits of pets.
Improve Your Mood
For those who love animals,
it’s virtually impossible to stay in a bad mood when a pair of loving puppy
eyes meets yours, or when a super-soft cat rubs up against your hand. In
addition to the social support, stress relief, and general health benefits that
pets can bring, research supports the mood-enhancing benefits of pets. A recent
study found that men with AIDS were less likely to suffer from depression if
they owned a pet.
Control Blood Pressure Better Than Drugs
Yes, it’s true. While ACE
inhibiting drugs can generally reduce blood pressure, they aren’t as effective
in controlling spikes in blood pressure due to stress and tension. However, in
a study on pets and blood pressure, groups of hypertensive New York
stockbrokers who got dogs or cats were found to have lower blood pressure and
heart rates than those who didn’t get pets. When they heard of the results,
most of those in the non-pet group went out and got pets!
Encouragement to Get Out And Exercise
Whether we walk our dogs
because they need it, or are more likely to enjoy a walk when we have
companionship, dog owners do spend more time walking than non-pet owners, at
least if we live in an urban setting. Most people with dogs will likely tell
you that they enjoy their walks better because of the companionship of their
pets, and perhaps even the feeling of being part of a community of other pet
lovers. Because exercise is good for stress management and overall health,
owning a dog can be credited with increasing these benefits.
Help With Social Support
When we’re out walking,
having a dog with us can make us more approachable and give people a reason to
stop and talk, thereby increasing the number of people we meet, giving us an
opportunity to increase our network of friends and acquaintances, which also
has great stress management benefits.
Stave Off Loneliness and Provide Unconditional
Love
Pets can be there for you in
ways that people can’t. They can offer love and companionship, and can also
enjoy comfortable silences, keep secrets and are excellent snugglers. And they
could be the best antidote to loneliness. In fact, one study found that nursing
home residents reported less loneliness when visited by dogs alone than when
they spent time with dogs and other people! All these benefits can reduce the
amount of stress people experience in response to feelings of social isolation
and lack of social support from people.
Pets Can Reduce Stress—Sometimes More Than
People
While we all know the power
of talking about your problems with a good friend who’s also a good listener,
research shows that spending time with a pet may be even better! One study
showed that, when conducting a task that’s stressful, people actually
experienced less stress when their pets were with them than when a supportive
friend or even their spouse was present! (This may be partially due to the fact
that pets don’t judge us; they just love us.)
It’s important to realize
that owning a pet isn’t for everyone. Pets do come with additional work and
responsibility, which can bring its own stress. However, for most people, the
benefits of having a pet outweigh the drawbacks. Having a furry best friend can
reduce stress in your life and bring you support when times get tough.
Article Sources
Evenson RJ, Simon RW.
Clarifying the Relationship Between Parenthood and Depression. Journal of
Health and Social Behavior. December 2005.
Siegel JM, Angulo FJ, Detels
R, Wesch J, Mullen A. AIDS diagnosis and depression in the Multicenter AIDS
Cohort Study: the ameliorating impact of pet ownership. AIDS Care. April 1999.
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