Is yours one of the 63% of American households that's home to a pet? If so, you'll probably not understand what's newsworthy about the results of a study published today in the journal, Family Process, that concludes with the findings that the animal-human bond is generally undervalued where our mental health is concerned and that living with an animal companion (no, not your little brother!) meets many of the psychosocial needs of us human animals (yes, your little brother). Why isn't this newsworthy? Because you probably knew it already.
Nevertheless, Dr. Froma Walsh's study makes it official: pets reduce our levels of stress; provide us with companionship, comfort, security, and affection; and give us an abundant dose of unconditional love in the process. All these nice things our pets do for us improve our health, both mentally and physically. They also just might keep us alive longer than if we lived without them. Walsh is a clinical psychologist and professor at the University of Chicago's Center for Family Health. She oughta know.
Living with a beloved animal companion may seem perfectly natural to us but we know that other people, even some with pets, may think we animal-lovers have issues with human interactions, are dysfunctional, maybe even rather strange but Walsh's study dispels those assumptions. It also highlights the fact that our grief over the loss of a pet is trivialized by society in general and that many of us prefer our animal companions to our human ones.
Even more enlightening is the Walsh study's conclusion that people enjoying strong animal-human bonds are compassionate, empathetic, and have an immense capacity for love.
Betcha knew that too!
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