E. L. Powell, Author
Reading and Writing All Sorts
#TherapyThursday
I’m aiming to do a post per day using alliteration to help me keep on top of the blog, despite what else is raging around me. Still off work with my shoulder and a few other things going on so aiming to focus more on my everyday writing.
So today’s Therapy discussion is the fact that having pets, namely dogs and cats, can reduce stress. For all animal lovers like myself, that may seem obvious; nothing better than companionship, cuddles and the occasional attack from the cat 😉
I have trawled through some studies to look for actual evidence – THIS ONE I have shared I have done so due to the fact it has free access, accessible referencing and is written in mostly plain-speak. The study concluded that pet ownership does indeed reduce stress including those in post-heart attack recovery. Whilst most people wouldn’t just get a pet purely for health benefits, owning one has intrinsic factors such as companionship, relaxation and positive psychological benefits. The study acknowledges in its’ conclusion that the benefits usually apply to owning a dog and not everyone with cardiovascular issues will find a miracle recovery by having one! Also, socio-economic factors would come into play but generally, the loyalty of dogs, the amusing antics of cats and the general reassurance you get from having any pet, cannot be under-estimated 🙂
©2019 Emma Powell
E. L. Powell, Author 