By LAUREN CORONA
Anyone who has loved a dog in their lives knows that dogs are often trusty companions and can be best friends to humans. But can they also improve our mental health?
Many studies over the years have shown the impact dogs and other pets have on our mental health, and the consensus is that dogs indeed positively affect the mental health of humans. If you’re wondering exactly how dogs benefit mental health, we have some answers for you below.
Reasons dogs benefit your mental health
Dogs get you out of the house
When you aren’t feeling your best, it can be hard to even leave the house, despite knowing it might ultimately improve your mood. With a dog to look after, however, you must walk them even when you don’t feel up to it. Once you get walking with your dog on a walk schedule, you’re likely to feel slightly better.
Exercise benefits
According to the Mayo Clinic, doing just 30 minutes of exercise three to five times a week may significantly improve anxiety and depression. A brisk walk with your dog counts as exercise, and since most dogs need more than 30 minutes of exercise each day, seven days a week, you might find even further improve your mental health.
If your dog is young and fit enough, you could even run with your dog a few times a week. The Tuff Mutt Hands-Free Bungee Leash is a great choice for running with your pooch.
Meeting new people
It’s not just the physical activity that improves your mood when you get out of the house with your dog, it’s the opportunity to meet new people.
If you walk your dog in areas where you’re likely to bump into other people, you’ll occasionally be stopped by someone who wants to pet your dog. But to really get chatting, head to the dog park.
While your dog is running and playing with other pups, you can talk to the other dog owners dotted around the park. There’s usually plenty of conversation at the dog park, and you might even make friends with people you want to hang out with outside the park.
Dogs provide companionship
Loneliness is very detrimental to your mental health. Although interacting with a dog can’t completely replace human interaction, dogs provide companionship on a day to day level.
You can talk to your dog (even if they don’t reply in words), pet your dog, play with them using their favorite toys, and look out for their needs. Even curling up on your couch with your canine companion to watch TV can decrease your loneliness.
Interacting with pets lowers stress hormones
Just the simple act of petting and interacting with dogs can measurably lower your stress hormones.
A study by Washington State University found that after petting dogs and cats for just 10 minutes, participants had significantly reduced levels of the stress hormone cortisol in their bloodstream. If you find that high levels of stress infringe on your mental health and wellbeing, petting your dog maybe the perfect solution.
It’s also beneficial for your dogs, as dogs usually being petted, too, but if your dog enjoys being groomed, grab a brush to lower your stress levels and care for their coat simultaneously.
Caring for pets makes you feel needed
When depression strikes, it can feel as though you have no purpose in life and nothing to get out of bed for. But owning a dog makes you feel needed.
It’s not just that you feel needed, in fact, your dog really does need you to walk them, feed them, give them their favorite treats, spend time with them, and generally care for them.
The impact of feeling needed by living creatures was explored in a study published in the National Library of Medicine. It found that those participants who were given living creatures to care for reported moderately reduced levels of depression. In this particular study, the participants were asked to care for crickets, so the positive effects of caring for dogs are even greater.
Dog ownership can improve your self-esteem
A trio of studies conducted by Miami University and Saint Louis University and published by the American Psychological Association found that pet owners had better self-esteem than people who didn’t own pets.
Pet owners also reported several other positive attributes relating to mental health and general wellness compared to non-pet owners, including reduced feelings of loneliness, less of a tendency to be preoccupied with their problems, less fearfulness, and better physical health.
Chicago Tribune
