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10 The Effects of Companion Animals on Human Health and Well-Being

11 Josue Abel Mamani Revilla

12 Pathway 3, ILAC

13 Aaron Andrews

14 November 16 , 2023

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26 Nowadays, companion animals have become an integral part of everyday life, and many

27 people consider their pets to be part of their family. The unconditional love of a pet can do

28 more than keep you company and we always take care of our pets as if they were our faithful

29 friends or consider them as our children. Because they lighten our mood, improve our mental

30 health, decrease stress, and even help children with their emotional and social skills. According

31 to the article The Power of Pets, interacting with animals has been shown to decrease levels of

32 cortisol (a stress-related hormone) and lower blood pressure. Other studies have found that

33 animals can reduce loneliness, increase feelings of social support, and boost your mood (The

34 Power of Pets, 2022). This is because his pleasant company of our pet makes us feel relieved

35 by many events that occur in our daily lives. Company animals can serve as a source of comfort

36 and support, for example, dogs, cats, and other species that we see as a pet. The article entitled

37 “Are Pets a Healthy Pleasure? The Influence of Pets on Blood Pressure” published on

38 December 1st, 2003 by Karen Allen, indicates the idea that living with an animal can improve

39 human health, psychological well-being, and longevity has been called the “pet effect”.

40 Interacting with animals influences social interaction between humans and related

41 factors important in this respect, such as trust, empathy, aggression, and a positive mood.

42 Interaction with an animal can change our social aspect increasing our positive social attention

43 and stimulating our social behavior with other unknown people. According to the article

44 entitled “Psychosocial and psychophysiological effects of human-animal interactions: the

45 possible role of oxytocin” published on July 9th, 2012, Authors, Andrea Beetz, Kerstin Uvnäs-

46 Moberg, Henri Julius, and Kurt Kotrschal, indicate that a relatively large of researchers have

47 been investigated the effect of companion animals on the perception of the human in its

48 company, and on the stimulation of social behavior, which they called “social catalyst effect”

49 which it refers to the facilitation of interpersonal interactions. Companion animals can buffer

50 feelings of loneliness and isolation, facilitate social connections, act as social lubricants, and
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51 offer social support. For example, many people talk to and confide in their animals. Pets, and

52 in particular dogs, have long been noted for their socializing role. The article entitled “The

53 Facilitation of social interactions by domestic dogs” published on April 28th, 2015 by Deborah

54 L. Wells, indicates domestic dogs have been known for their socializing role, and others

55 experienced a significantly higher number of chance conversations with complete strangers

56 whenever they were accompanied by a dog in a park or other places than whenever they were

57 alone. For this reason, dogs are now widely employed for “ice-breaking” to start a conversation

58 or who would say it, that on many occasions you find a partner and start a conversation with

59 him or her.

60 Another effect that our pets help us is depression, which is the most common

61 psychological disorder in our society and the major cause of morbidity worldwide. Companion

62 animal interventions have the potential to significantly reduce depression symptoms and shut

63 down the bad feelings in our behavior. The article entitled “The State of Research on Human–

64 Animal Relations: Implications for Human Health” published on March 19th, 2019 by Deborah

65 L. Wells, indicates depression is particularly prevalent among older adults, affecting roughly

66 seven million people over the age of 65, and some authors highlighting a positive relationship

67 between companion animals ownership and reductions in depression.

68 In some cases, our sense of aggression changes when we have a companion animal, but

69 it depends on the animal we have. If we have an aggressive animal, our emotions will be

70 influenced by the animal and our aggression will increase anyway. On the other hand, If we

71 have a less aggressive animal our feeling of aggression decreases. According to the article

72 entitled “Psychosocial and psychophysiological effects of human-animal interactions: the

73 possible role of oxytocin” published on July 9th, 2012, Authors, Andrea Beetz, Kerstin Uvnäs-

74 Moberg, Henri Julius, and Kurt Kotrschal, indicate that they noticed that the presence of a

75 friendly dog decreased the aggression in the behavior of students in a very aggressive class
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76 group.

77 Companion animals are beneficial to the emotional, cognitive, behavioral, educational,

78 and social development of children and youth. In young people, the presence of a companion

79 animal can fulfill attachment needs, ease anxiety and loneliness, improve self-esteem, facilitate

80 emotional regulation, help build resilience, and foster empathy. The article entitled “The Health

81 and Mood-Boosting Benefits of Pets” Published on October 2nd, 2023 by HelpGuide.org,

82 Authors, Lawrence Robinson and Jeanne Segal, indicate that Pets, especially dogs and cats,

83 can reduce stress, anxiety, and depression, ease loneliness, encourage exercise and playfulness,

84 and even improve your cardiovascular health. Caring for an animal can help children grow up

85 more secure and active.

86 Studies have shown that people with pets lower blood pressure in stressful situations

87 than those without pets. The article entitled “The State of Research on Human–Animal

88 Relations: Implications for Human Health” published on March 19th, 2019 by Deborah L. Wells,

89 indicates that studies in this area point to enhanced survival arising from pet ownership in

90 patients who have suffered cardiovascular-related health problems. One of the first studies in

91 this area found that pet owners were significantly more likely to be alive one year after heart

92 attack or angina pectoris than those who did not own pets.

93 For example, the blood pressure of people asked to work on mental arithmetic in the
94 presence of their spouses increased on average from 120/80 to 155/100. In contrast,
95 when our participants had only their pets present, their blood pressure increased slightly,
96 to 125/83. From both clinical and research perspectives, these are significant
97 differences that warrant consideration and explanation (Allen K, 2003).
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99 Another effect that pets can improve our lifestyle and change our healthy life is that

100 pets provide companionship, Companionship can help prevent illness and even add years to

101 your life, while isolation and loneliness can trigger symptoms of depression. Caring for an

102 animal can help make you feel needed and wanted, and take the focus away from your problems,

103 especially if you live alone. Most dog and cat owners talk to their pets, some even use them to
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104 work through their troubles. And nothing beats loneliness like coming home to a wagging tail

105 or purring cat. The article entitled “Loneliness and Pet Ownership among Single Women”

106 published on July 15th, 1994 by Zasloff, R. L., & Kidd, A. H. Indicates that there are Some

107 benefits to human health may arise directly from the mere provision of companionship offered

108 by pets. The presence of another living being can simply help to reduce the feelings of

109 loneliness and isolation that some cohorts of society are prone to.

110 In conclusion, This essay points to a mixed picture regarding the effect of companion

111 animals on human health and well–being as well as the social interaction between humans,

112 companion animals help us with depression, and other effect makes us less aggressive in our

113 emotions. Furthermore, companion animals have benefits for young people. In addition, Our

114 pets reduce the level of tension which helps lower blood pressure levels and prevents

115 cardiovascular problems. Finally, provide companionship that helps us to avoid illness and

116 probably change our style of life. Overall, most studies report a positive association between

117 interactions with animals and the physical and/or psychological health of people and lend

118 support for the commonly held belief that pets are good for us. The web page entitled “The

119 value of pets for human health” published on March 11th, 2011 by the British Psychological

120 Society. Indicates companion animals should certainly not be regarded as a perfect pill for

121 treating ill health, animals have the potential to contribute significantly to our well-being and

122 quality of life, and, as such, should not be overlooked as an alternative, or complementary, form

123 of therapy in modern-day healthcare practices.

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129 References

130 The power of pets. (2022, July 26). NIH News in Health.

131 https://newsinhealth.nih.gov/2018/02/power-}pets#:~:text=Interacting%20wit

132 h%20animals%20has%20been,support%2C%20and%20boost%20your%20m

133 ood.

134 Allen, K. (2003). Are pets a healthy pleasure? The influence of pets on blood

135 pressure. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 12(6), 236–239.

136 https://doi.org/10.1046/j.0963-7214.2003.01269.x

137 Beetz, A., Uvnäs‐Moberg, K., Julius, H., & Kotrschal, K. (2012). Psychosocial and

138 Psychophysiological effects of Human-Animal Interactions: The possible role

139 of Oxytocin. Frontiers in Psychology, 3.

140 https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2012.00234

141 Wells, D. L. (2004). The facilitation of social interactions by domestic dogs.

142 Anthrozoos, 17(4), 340–352. https://doi.org/10.2752/089279304785643203

143 Wells, D. L. (2019). The State of Research on Human–Animal Relations:

144 Implications for Human Health. Anthrozoos, 32(2), 169–181.

145 https://doi.org/10.1080/08927936.2019.1569902

146 Robinson, L. (2023b, October 2). The Health and Mood-Boosting Benefits of Pets.

147 HelpGuide.org. https://www.helpguide.org/articles/mental-health/mood-

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149 dogs.htm#:~:text=Pets%2C%20especially%20dogs%20and%20cats,up%20m

150 ore%20secure%20and%20active.

151 Zasloff, R. L., & Kidd, A. H. (1994). Loneliness and Pet Ownership among Single

152 Women. Psychological Reports, 75(2), 747–752.

153 https://doi.org/10.2466/pr0.1994.75.2.747
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154 What are the benefits of companion animals to human health? (2023, April 13).

155 https://kb.rspca.org.au/knowledge-base/what-are-the-benefits-of-companion-

156 animals-to-human-health/

157 Research reveals impact of animals on health and wellbeing of care home residents -

158 PenARC. (2023, June 2). PenARC. https://arc-swp.nihr.ac.uk/news/impact-

159 animals-health-wellbeing-care-home-residents/

160 EHINZ. (n.d.). https://www.ehinz.ac.nz/indicators/animals-and-human-health/about-

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