My mother used to say "you can always trust a person who
has animal hair on them". As a kid, I often pondered what
this statement means. Are people who care for animals more
trustworthy? Kinder? Gentler?
Well, a recent scientific study says that people who own
pets are less stressed. Maybe not more trustworthy, but
less stress WOULD indicate greater wellness. An idea worth
considering.
The study examined the cardiovascular reactivity when
exposed to psychological stress of 240 married couples,
half of whom owned a pet. The researchers exposed the
people to stressful situations (mental arithmetic problems
and stuff like that) in a variety of social support
conditions: alone, with pet or friend (friend present for
non-pet owners), with spouse, with spouse and pet/friend.
They found that the people with the pets had much lower
rise in heart rate under such conditions; better than with
their spouse or friends.
This evidence the healing help pets provide has been
anecdotal for years. Hospitals, retirement homes and other
caring facilities have used pets to help promote wellness
with a lot of success. So it's no surprise, especially
where children are involved.
Over the last couple of weeks, I have conducted my own
experiment by observing how the people in my family and
visitors to my home relate to my cat and, of course how my
cat relates to them.
My cat is a rather funny looking, very playful and
affectionate youngish cat named Tony. He is a "hairless"
breed, called Sphinx.
Tony has many jobs. One is to help me to write by sitting
on my lap and purring loudly. He also reminds me to take
breaks by standing up and walking on the computer keyboard!
I digress.
One observation that is true for all unknowing participants
in my "experiment": everyone that enters my house, friends,
family members and even the FedX guy, upon seeing Tony,
their face changes and becomes somehow softer. It's as if
just seeing the cat makes them less stressed. Even the
little girl who is very frightened of cats loves to watch
the cat from a distance.
My partner, a high energy executive of a multi-national
company, is of particular interest to this study. When he
arrives home after work or travel, his body language is
"Mr. corporate leader". After greeting and kissing his
people family members, he looks a bit more relaxed. But
it's after he picks up Tony and strokes him (usually
followed by giving him some cat food), that he appears to
really relax and turn off from work.
Last week, I had a friend over who says she doesn't like
cats. Later I found them on the couch, and my friend said
"this cat really feels nice to touch". Her face and Tony's
could be best described as "content". Of course the cat had
a very special extremely loud purr just for her.
So, the conclusions drawn from my very subjective
experiment is that our pets really enrich our lives. It
would be safe to speculate that, yes pets reduce stress
levels in their owners. If you have a pet yourself, you
probably agree!
Try your own experiment.... Ask your friends and coworkers
about their pets and soak up the good feelings they
radiate. Enjoy.
Source:
Cardiovascular Reactivity and the Presence of Pets,
Friends, and Spouses: The Truth About Cats and Dogs.
Karen Allen, PhD, Jim Blascovich, PhD and Wendy B. Mendes,
MS
http://www.psychosomaticmedicine.org/cgi/content/abstract/64
/5/727
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About the Author:
Ainsley Laing, MSc. has been a Fitness Trainer for 25 years
and writes exclusively Body for Mind eZine. She holds
certifications in Group Exercise, Sports Nutrition and
Personal Fitness Training. She is also a professional
engineer and mom. To see more articles by Ainsley visit
http://www.bodyformind.com or the blog at
http://www.bodyformind.blogspot.com
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