Today, animals live in nearly every household. Dogs, cats, parrots, hamsters, and other animals are considered family members. Such a tendency suggests that people become more compassionate while protecting and caring for animals. The interaction between humans and animals has a beneficial effect because it helps people cope with emotional stress and mental conditions and increase physical activity.
Pets do a lot of emotional work, serving as companions for humans. For instance, Brooks et al. found that dog companionship helps war veterans overcome post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (5). Many studies showed that having a dog significantly reduces depressing feelings, such as loneliness, irritability, and anxiousness (Brooks et al. 5). Thus, pets serve as a source of connectedness because they give unconditional love to their owners. Besides, people become more attached to their pets, which increases tolerance, kindness, and patience since caring for an animal is always accompanied by these attitudes.
Pet ownership supports physical activity that positively influences mental health management. Animals can distract people’s attention from painful symptoms and negative mental experiences, such as panic attacks or suicidal thoughts (Brooks et al. 6). Brooks et al. state that dog owners are more likely to be involved in motion activities (6). Moreover, daily walking with the dog can cause a love for nature. Spending time in a park or forest with the dog helps to notice other surrounding details, such as clouds in the sky, the lifecycle of leaves, the behavior of insects, and so forth. Besides physical activity and playing with the pet, one may become interested in the form of clouds and what it tells about the state of an atmosphere.
Animals can contribute to a feeling of self-worth and make human life meaningful. Compared to non-pet owners, those who have pets tend to perform more activities that are meaningful (Brooks et al. 7). Moreover, many people feel better with animals because it enhances human existential meaning (Brooks et al. 7). As Brooks et al. suggest, caring for pets gives a sense of purpose in life (8). Noteworthy, such regular activities as feeding animals, cleaning their cages, and so on infuse the feeling of devotion to a living being. In addition, pet ownership can be associated with emotional nourishment because people learn their pets’ behaviors and specific reactions. Therefore, interaction with animals may increase emotional intellect.
Animals can positively contribute to human interactions and personal relationships. People have formed their culture based on social interaction and norms. Therefore, the need for socialization can be the reason why they constantly try to interact with animals (Brooks et al. 7). Moreover, having pets improves relationships with family and friends and fosters general social integration (Brooks et al. 7). For instance, people may find new friends who own pets, and this mutual interest prevents people from loneliness. Thus, humans learn from animals how to be more engaged in a community, which contributes to human feeling of importance in society.
Finally, having pets and caring for them positively affects humans. Besides contributing to the health improvement of people, animals teach them to be more compassionate, patient, and kind. Pets require attention that facilitates the expression of positive emotions in humans. In turn, it helps to cope with mental conditions, increases socialization and quality of life, and makes it meaningful.
Works Cited
Brooks, Helen Louise, et al. “The Power of Support from Companion Animals for People Living with Mental Health Problems: A Systematic Review and Narrative Synthesis of the Evidence.” BMC Psychiatry, vol. 18, no. 31, 2018, pp. 1-12.