We can find that more and more people are keeping pets now. In communities and parks in the morning or evening, there are many dog walkers. Some are elderly people in their 60s and 70s, walking slowly behind their furry children. Some are teenager...
We can find that more and more people are keeping pets now. In communities and parks in the morning or evening, there are many dog walkers. Some are elderly people in their 60s and 70s, walking slowly behind their furry children. Some are teenagers, jumping and running with their dogs. Some are sweet young lovers, enjoying a happy life of two people and one dog. It is really a beautiful scenery. Maybe you are one of them.
People who don’t have pets may say: “Pets require a lot of time, energy and money.” However, in the process of getting along with pets, it seems that pets need our care. In fact, it is us who need pets more often. So why do we need pets?
[Pets provide us with "contact comfort"]
Pets are defined as "animals and plants kept in captivity for spiritual purposes." After solving the problem of food and clothing, modern people pay more attention to satisfying their own spiritual needs. The psychologist Harlow once proposed the concept of "contact comfort", that is, young mammals want to have physical contact with their mothers.
When the mother is away, young mammals will look for something that feels most like their mother. For those of us who have grown up and are separated from their families for various reasons, raising a furry animal has become the best choice. They satisfy our need for contact comfort. When we hold them, we seem to feel safe and warm again.
[Pet companionship helps with physical and mental health]
Because the number of people who keep pets is getting larger and larger, more and more people are studying and paying attention to the role of pets in maintaining physical and mental health. Researchers from the University of Chicago found through research that continuous communication and interaction with pets will reduce people’s innate loneliness, make us more social, and can significantly improve our mental health.
The British Pet Therapy Association has been committed to providing pet therapy to hospitals, nursing homes, mental hospitals and other institutions. More than 100,000 people are in contact with pets every week. Maureen Haynes, director of the Pet Association, said that generally patients have a sense of loneliness and do not like to talk, and contact with pets will make it easier for them to open up. For example, patients with depression generally feel lonely, but if there is a dog next to them, the situation will be much better, because pets can provide a good start for communication.
【Pets always make you feel relaxed and happy】
Many people will describe the time spent with pets like this, "Whenever I come home from work for a day and stretch out my arms to hug the dog running towards me, I feel that the stress and fatigue have disappeared."
After this kind of eye contact or physical contact with pets, The feeling of happiness and relaxation does not arise out of thin air. It is actually related to something called "oxytocin". Oxytocin is a mammalian hormone. When the mood is cheerful or there is a strong sense of belonging, the human body's hypothalamus will synthesize oxytocin, and the pituitary gland will secrete oxytocin, which will relieve stress. Therefore, pets can really "heal" us. This is based on scientific evidence.
[Pets can inspire the most primitive emotions in your heart]
Many owners will call their pets "son" or "daughter" in life, or call themselves "dad" or "mom" in front of their pets. In other words, when getting along with their pets, many owners have regarded their pets as their children and family members. The reason is that pets awaken the most primitive emotions in our hearts, that is, the connection between parents and children.
Zoologists believe that animals have many similar appearance characteristics to human babies, such as the eyes taking up a larger proportion of the face, the head taking up a larger proportion of the limbs, etc. These characteristics can stimulate the most primitive emotions deep in the human heart and make people want to protect them and take care of them. This is the instinct of human beings to nurture and a need for biological survival and evolution.
When people see cats, dogs and other pets, just like seeing babies, their brains secrete dopamine that makes people feel good, making people's attitude become friendly and gentle.
[Pet diversification promotes harmonious development]
Most people’s understanding of pets is still limited to cats and dogs. In fact, with the development of the times, the range of pets has become very wide. Pets in real life are actually divided into several categories: mammals, reptiles, birds, fish and insects. In recent years, plants, virtual pets, and electronic pets have also been included. With the diversification of pets, people can find pets that suit them and love them. They have become more caring and tolerant, and humans can live in harmony and friendliness with their pets.
Of course, the reasons why we need pets are far more than the above, but no matter what the reason is, we must take good care of them and not treat them as toys that can be thrown away at will.
