Physical and psychosocial benefits
of pet ownership
By Allen Salo
Board Member
This week I was invited to write the weekly article on behalf of the Central Aroostook Humane Society. Because the article will closely coincide with Valentine’s Day, I decided to review the purported benefits to heart-health and other types of well-being through pet ownership.
I briefly sampled online articles and a few from other sources to get a better sense of what has been found. While many of you likely know of at least some of the possible benefits of pet ownership, there are actually many types that have been reported. Some benefits are associated with children growing up among furred animals — these include protection from allergies, asthma, eczema and even improved immune system function.
However, there are several more suggested benefits for adults as well. Some evidence suggests the benefits of pets may be greatest for those who have either medical or psychological conditions or are facing challenging times in their life, but other studies clearly suggest benefits to healthy or typical folks as well (some benefits clearly have more or less support at this stage of understanding them if interpretation is made carefully).
Other identified psychological and social benefits of pet ownership include them helping people connect with others since dogs (or other pets) are natural conversation starters. Growing evidence shows that for certain conditions, such as those with Alzheimer’s disease, individuals have fewer outbursts if there is an animal in the home. Caregivers may also feel less burdened as well when there is a pet in the home, particularly a cat, which generally requires less care than a dog.
Individuals with other conditions such as AIDS are far less likely to suffer from depression than those without pets, especially when there is a strong attachment to the pet. Stockbrokers with high blood pressure had lower readings after adopting a dog or cat, in stressful situations than those without pets.
Evidence suggests that such de-stressors may be useful to reduce the likelihood of stress-related buildup of plaque in arteries. A number of studies have now shown that men who have heart attacks that have pets survive longer than those without.
One of the most interesting and recent articles I found (McConnel et al, 2011) revealed through an experimental design in which individuals simply wrote briefly about their favorite pet and why they liked them helped them reduce the effects of rejection they’d previously been asked to write about a time when they were socially excluded or rejected. In fact, having written about their favorite pet led to a measure of their social needs as being fulfilled that was actually higher than those of writing about their favorite (human) friend.
Clearly, it appears we will be hearing more about the many positive benefits of pet ownership. Nevertheless, one can imagine some cases where having a pet may be even more stressful than not having one. Do plan accordingly if you consider owning or adopting a pet, but the benefits may clearly outweigh any negative ones.
Remember to stop by the Central Aroostook Humane Society to visit the animals and their two-footed caretakers (it just may do your heart, mind and soul good). The dogs and animals can benefit by walking or handling as directed. We are open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., closing for lunch noon to 12:30 p.m.
Sources for this article include: “5 Ways Pets Can Improve Your Health” by Jeanie Lerche Davis, found at WebMD.com, February 8, 2013; and “Friends With Benefits: On the Positive Consequences of Pet Ownership” by Allen R. McConnel, Christina Brown, Tonya Shoda, Laura Stayton, and Colleen Martin, Journal of Personality & Social Psychology, Dec 2011, Vol. 101(6), pp 1239 – 1252.
