What could be nicer than arriving home after a stressful day and finding your dog wagging its tail, so happy to see you? Or his cat which – in addition – acts as a sublime purring hot water bottle in rotten weather? Well, ok, what's best, we think we know:a guy we love and desire, and who takes us in his arms or even just takes us as soon as we cross the doorstep (pure guess of the author-without-guy). As we are only going to talk here about the benefit of the first, let's forget the second, whether it exists or not.
First, pets are good for our mental health, simply because they accept and love us unconditionally. Whether we have 10 kilos too much, a cyclical / hormonal / seasonal depression, whether we are futile or superficial neuneu. No need to be Marie Currie, no need to be Gisele Bündchen, better or worse, no need to be LOUISE BOURGOIN. They love us as we are and that is priceless (except for the vet, the croquettes, the litter in short, 600 euros per year minimum).
Otherwise, more concretely, dogs lower cholesterol. Thank you for the obligatory passage of the daily walks. In particular, an Australian study showed that dog-people tend to have lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels. So you can throw this shocking argument at him if he opposes the adoption of Brenda or Kelly, the little dogs behind the window of the pet shop downstairs from his buddy Joey.
Daily walks also significantly increase the number of minutes walked per week (compared to non-dog owners). These are therefore excellent stimulants for our physical condition.
And unsurprisingly, pets de-stress us. It's just chemical. We just have to look at this cute furry ball for oxytocin, the pleasure and love hormone that gives us a great feeling of joy, to emerge in our brain. At the same time, the mere sight of them lowers our levels of cortisol, the stress hormone. Researchers have observed these effects in particular on veterans in a state of post-traumatic stress:an animal presence has incredibly boosted their healing!
Finally, after reviewing a host of studies on pet ownership, the very serious American Heart Association concluded that the presence of a 4-legged friend and especially a dog was REALLY associated with a decrease in cardiovascular risk.
Ah, and above all, do not deprive yourself of them if you have children! Studies show that exposed to animals before 6 months of age, they develop fewer allergies, hay fever and eczema as they age. CQFD no, we adopt?
