How Pets Improve Mental Health
Today, October 10, is World Mental Health Day, and we here at PAWS NY highly value mental health awareness, treatment, and access to equitable care.
Therefore, there is no better time to review all the psychological benefits of pet guardianship. According to the World Health Organization, “1 in every 8 people, or 970 million people around the world” live with a mental health disorder. Anxiety and Depressive disorders are the most common, encompassing a broad range of negative emotions including sadness, distress, or fear. A growing body of evidence suggests that the Human-Animal Bond (HAB) can reduce many symptoms of anxiety and depression.
Specifically, research has indicated that pet guardianship and the Human-Animal Bond (HAB) produces the following results:
- improvement of social attention, behavior, interpersonal interaction, and mood
- reduction of stress-related parameters such as cortisol, heart rate, and blood pressure
- reduction of fear and anxiety
- improvement of physical health, especially cardiovascular health
- increased trustworthiness of and trust toward other persons
- reduction in aggressive behavior
- enhanced levels of empathy towards others
At PAWS NY, our mission is to keep people and pets together, and protect the human-animal bond that is so psychologically and physically beneficial. And we see the impact of this every day.
“My dog is basically my savior in life,” said a PAWS NY client. “He brings me more joy and stability than anything else in the world.”
In honor of World Mental Health Day, take some time to snuggle your furry friends and enjoy the emotional and mental health benefits of your bond.