Your pet loves you and you love your pet back.
That single emotional exchange is one of the reasons that pets can encourage a healthy emotional mindset, says psychologist Therese J. Borchard.
Writing in the World of Psychology, Borchard says the presence of a pet gives structure and responsibility to a human life. Pets must be fed, preferably on a schedule, and tended to, recognizing their need, and our need, for exercise, for example.
They change our behavior. If we wish to collapse disgruntled in a chair at the end of the day, there is that friendly wet dog nose, urging us to a pet and a walk.
Just petting your dog or cat reduces stress-related responses in the brain, according to a study by the University of Virginia.
This distraction can be an effective therapy that stops a person from obsessively ruminating on problems.
And finally, just the feeling of love given and returned, is enough to make life a little more meaningful.
Rick Good spent ten years in the newspaper business, including with The News & Observer (Raleigh, NC) and The Greenville News (Greenville, SC). He co-wrote, with Melinda Coleman, Rutledge to Riley: Governors of South Carolina, 1776–Present (Published by The Greenville News), and is the author of Mind Games Trivia #1 (Amazon). He has recently spent 15 years creating original trivia content through Sounds Good Mobile Entertainment and continues that with his new company, SGME Software. He edits The Smart Reader’s money, real estate, and business coverage.
