Puppies and Mental Health
Oct 20th, 2011 by frankish
I like puppies. Puppies are fun. They are good for your health. Getting a puppy is up there with exercise and meditation. Evidence shows puppies provide social support, stress relief and health benefits (Evenson, 2005). You don’t have to pick up after a personal trainer; but, puppies yield more health benefits than people. Puppies can improve your mood. Men with AIDS were less likely to be depressed if they had a pet. Puppies keep secrets, cuddle and reduce loneliness. Elderly folks report less loneliness when visited by dogs. Puppies provide companionship and promote exercise. Puppies are also a “mate magnet”. This helps to reduce stress because people who like puppies are nicer. Puppies can also control your blood pressure. Stockbrokers who got pets had lower blood pressure. Doing a hard task is less stressful if you are accompanied by a puppy. Owning a puppy isn’t for everyone (just nice people).
Adapted from Evenson RJ, Simon RW. Clarifying the Relationship Between Parenthood and Depression. Journal of Health and Social Behavior. December 2005.
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