2023-08-14 04:04:24
Do you live with an animal? If the answer is positive, take care of it with all your love and take advantage of the enormous advantages it provides for your mental health. We tell you the most important ones.
Having a pet benefits your mental health. It doesn’t matter if they have hair, feathers, scales; if they let themselves be hugged or you just watch them do their thing. The presence of them comforts in many ways and significantly.
Science is no stranger to this and launches to describe the advantages of the company of an animal in the lives of humans. Let’s see what effects contact with other species has on mood and emotional well-being. We invite you to continue reading.
Why owning a pet benefits your mental health?
With their company, animals are able to modify the chemistry of our brain. This is confirmed by a study published in Frontiers in Psychology , which found that the interaction between humans and other species causes the release of oxytocin, the hormone involved in creating bonds and feelings of calm and well-being.
Petting or playing with animals, as well as other forms of physical contact, were the actions measured in this research.
Just like sharing with a dog or cat makes you happy, for example, there is also the complementary effect. In 2018, a study was published in BMC Psychiatry, analyzing this effect in people with long-term mental illnesses.
In it, it was found that, if there were animals in the process, in challenging tasks the physiological responses to stress (high blood pressure, cortisol release, etc.) decreased considerably.
Dogs and physical exercise
Sticking to species that are normally found in homes, dogs are ideal for promoting a more active life in their caregivers. Since they need at least 2 walks a day, they help to abandon a sedentary lifestyle. On average, it is possible to spend up to 160 minutes a week walking pets outside the home, notes the Journal of Physical Activity & Health .
Indirectly, this affects health. As warned by the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, physical exercise contributes to improving mental health and alleviating the symptoms of illness such as depression or anxiety. It is also convenient to adapt this physical activity to the environment that most favors humans.
Pet care and mental health
The very act of caring and taking responsibility also benefits the mind. In fact, the book Handbook on animal-assisted therapy: Theoretical foundations and guidelines for practice (2016) states that care fosters good self-esteem, a sense of purpose, and feelings of emotional connection.
On the other hand, compassion towards animals is also the object of study; There are several inquiries that delve into this attitude and the promotion of pro-environmental and pro-social behaviors. Thus, the role of animal rescue centers and sanctuaries stands out, where hundreds of interactions are generated with them that foster empathy.
Animals alleviate loneliness and provide social support
That pets accompany is a fact that comes from popular knowledge. However, this is proven, above all, in studies of animal-assisted therapy applied to the elderly, which indicate that feelings of loneliness subside.
In other groups where caring for mental health is also key, such as neurodivergences, the effectiveness of animal-assisted therapies has been proven. On the autism spectrum, for example, they find that animals help improve the development of the socio-emotional abilities of infants with this neurodevelopmental disorder.
Pet, mental health and actions for a better world: an indisputable link
It is logical to think that a care activity develops awareness regarding the environmental and social problems of the environment. Likewise, from this expansion of empathy, action behaviors are derived to solve them, which, in turn, produces a greater sense of control and an increase in self-esteem.
On the other hand, the relationship between empathy towards animals and attitudes that promote sustainability has been proven in studies, such as the one published in Global Environmental Change. It describes that the empathy generated from human-animal interaction is generalized towards the relationship with the environment and the concern for its preservation.
Taking care of a pet has a positive impact
The bottom line from all this talk is yes: caring for a pet has a direct and positive impact on mental health. This impact is exerted through the development of empathy and the generation of hormones such as oxytocin, giving rise to more compassionate and prosocial attitudes.
Finally, it is worth highlighting ethics in this area. Although the benefits that the company of an animal brings together are multiple, it would be contrary to all this philosophy to establish a utilitarian relationship with them. Open-mindedness, empathy and the end of loneliness are only achieved through sharing that selfless love that makes them who they are.
Source: The Mind is Wonderful
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