Tuesday 9 August 2011

Pets really are good for you!

For those of you who don’t own pets, you may not fully understand why pet owners dedicate so much of their time, effort and attention to their furry members of the family. Recent stories have shown the extremes of this recently, with some pet owners finding their dogs a suitable partner to marry and 1 in 10 pets now having their very own Facebook pages!

But why is this? Why are these animals getting pampered to a life of luxury when some believe they will give nothing but a mess in the back garden back? A recent study published by the American Psychological Association may have the answer to this.

Most people generally depend of human interactions for social support, but can your pet cat give you similar results? It has been widely reported that for people with health problems, animals have been helpful in facilitating that said person’s emotional well-being and physical recovery. But this new study gives evidence that suggests that you don’t have to be ill to benefit from the company of animals.

Three studies aimed to see if everyday people did in fact benefit from their pets. They found that they had better self-esteem, were more socially communicative and generally less fearful than those who did not have an animal companion in their lives. They also found that when a participant had experienced rejection in their lives, their pets would give them a good level of support to make them feel better.

Participants were also asked to write about their favourite pet and one of their friends. The results from this showed that writing about a pet has the same positive effects as when they are writing about a friend.

This is the first study of its kind to focus on the benefits of pets to everyday people. Past studies have only focused on the benefits pets have to owners who are struggling with health problems.

So if your parents or loved ones are sceptical about adding a furry edition to the household, it might be worth bringing up the fact that pets have shown evidence of positively changing your life.

It may also be worth considering that if your pets are giving your all of these benefits to you, maybe it’s time to return the favour and show how much you care...

Visit ePet for pet insurance to protect against unforeseen incidents that can affect both your pet and your pocket. ePet offers a variety of policies to suit you and your pet. Each year 1 in 3 pets are injured or become ill and need urgent veterinary treatment. We can help cover the cost of these unexpected bills for as little as 13p a day, leaving you with the important job of helping your important member of the family back to full recovery.
Read more about this story here.

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