How Pets Can Support Your Mental Health
According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (2020), spending time with domestic animals like dogs and cats has been shown to help reduce symptoms of anxiety, depression, fatigue, and pain. Multiple studies have demonstrated the positive effects of human and pet interaction including improved social behavior and mood; reduction of stress indicators like cortisol levels, heart rate, and blood pressure; and reduction in self-reported feelings of fear and anxiety (Beetz et al., 2012).
One study found that social interaction between humans and dogs can lead to an increase in oxytocin levels (Beetz et al., 2012). Oxytocin is a hormone produced by the body that plays an important role in social bonding. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers in Malaysia found that compared to people without pets, pet owners demonstrated significantly higher levels of mental well being (Grajfoner et al., 2021). These same pet owners felt they had increased resiliency to cope with adverse events.
For folks navigating mental health conditions like anxiety, pets can provide a tactile outlet to help reduce stress levels and support grounding during acute anxiety episodes. This may explain the rise in emotional support animals in recent years. Anecdotally, petting animals during an anxiety attack has been incredibly helpful for me personally, as the tactile sensations of soft fur and animal snuggles helps me to calm down.
Reference
Beetz, A., Uvnäs-Moberg, K., Julius, H., & Kotrschal, K. (2012). Psychosocial and psychophysiological effects of human-animal interactions: the possible role of oxytocin. Frontiers in psychology, 3, 234. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2012.00234
Grajfoner, D., Ke, G. N., & Wong, R. M. M. (2021). The Effect of Pets on Human Mental Health and Wellbeing during COVID-19 Lockdown in Malaysia. Animals : an open access journal from MDPI, 11(9), 2689. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11092689
National Alliance on Mental Illness . (2020, August 26). How pets can help US maintain mental health. NAMI California. Retrieved December 28, 2022, from https://namica.org/blog/how-dogs-can-help-us-maintain-mental-health/