Did you know that having a pet can affect both your mental and physical health? If you have a pet, I’m sure you’ve noticed that simply being around them can significantly bring up your mood. Well, this is not a coincidence; in fact, multiple studies have found that people who own pets statistically have better mental and physical health than those who don’t. Even if you don’t like animals, the sounds that they make can have a good effect on your body. 

When you own a dog, especially if you don’t have a backyard, you need to take them outside for walks. In fact, on average, dog owners spend 3 – 5 hours a week walking. While that might not seem like a lot, a daily walk can help a lot with your health. Walking has been proven to help you lose weight, reduce stress, and build endurance. Another way having a pet can benefit you is by reducing loneliness. Especially during the pandemic, it’s no secret that there was a significant increase in people reporting feelings of loneliness and isolation. However, pets have always been a good way to reduce feelings of loneliness, even before the pandemic. A study by The Royal Canine Foundation found that 90% of respondents said their pets helped them emotionally during the pandemic, and 96% said their pets helped them stay active. This evidence proves that owning at least one animal will help with your health in more ways than one. 

While a dog can be a big-time commitment, they’re not the only animal that can benefit you.  When cats purr, not only are they telling you they’re happy, but they’re also releasing a hormone that will make you happy while somehow lowering your blood pressure. While you’re petting or listening to your cat purr, it triggers your body to release oxytocin, which is a hormone that lifts your mood and relieves stress and anxiety. Because of this, people who own cats statistically have lower blood pressure, which helps lower their risk of heart attack and strokes. Even if you’re injured, your cats can help you recover by just sitting on your lap. The purring of a cat can have a frequency as low as 20 HZ, and studies have shown that a frequency of 18 – 35 HZ will have a healing effect on your joints. 

While I’m sure many of you already know, pets can help us feel better mentally. I bet you didn’t know how much they could help your physical health and how much science there is behind it. 62% of Americans have at least one pet, and many people have deep and meaningful relationships with their pets. While depending on the animal, pets can be a lot of work and expensive, however, there are many types of animals that can work with your life, like if you don’t have time to walk every day or play with a dog, a cat, or even a Guinea pig requires significantly less work and attention. Pets can bring so much happiness and meaning into your life; the health benefits are just a bonus, and there are about 14,000 animal shelters just in the US with thousands of animals just waiting for a home.