Those happy-to-see-you tail wags and melt-your-heart meows—pets give us so much love and joy. But that’s not all they do for us.
According to studies, contact with pets:
- Counteracts the stress response by lowering stress hormones and heart rate.
- Lowers anxiety and fear levels and elevates feelings of calmness.
- Decreases blood pressure
- Enhances immunity and increase pain tolerance
- Deters depression and mood disorders because pets help keep loneliness and isolation at bay, which wards off the blues.
- Reduces the risk for obesity and increases mobility in dog owners (those “walks” pay off).
Our pets aren’t just good “to” us they’re good “for” us. So if you already own one or five—awesome! And if you’re on the fence, hop off and visit your local pet rescue—you may just find you’re next BFF (best furry friend)!
