Have you ever considered of getting yourself a furry, feathered, or even scaley friend? Or wondering if keeping a pet at home is good or bad? If you have, you may have hesitated due to health reasons or perhaps cleanliness. Not everyone can be an animal person, but if you’ve ever wanted to have a pet of any sort then we have got you covered as we are going to mention ten advantages of keeping a pet at home is a great idea.
Here are ten great advantages of keeping a pet at home are great for the mind, body, and soul! Read on!
1. They inspire you to get off the couch
One of the advantages of having a pet is that they inspire you to get off the couch. Studies show that dogs owner tend to be more active, if only because Fido motivates them to go outside for a walk.
Even a simple fish in a tank can encourage you to increase your activity levels since you’ll need to run to the pet store for supplies and move around taking care of them. Even that small amount of exercise can pay dividends to your health, and make you feel better emotionally as well.
2. They can lower your cholesterol
Pet owners manage to have lower cholesterol and triglycerides than non-pet owners. In a landmark study in 1992, scientists found a significant difference in cholesterol and triglyceride levels in pet owners as compared to non-pet owners.
The study even controlled for other factors such as cigarette smoking and BMI, making a pet’s pro-health perks all the more convincing. So, what your excuse now for not using this pet advantages?
3. They can lower your blood pressure
Another great reason for having a pet is that they can lower your blood pressure. Just petting your dog or cat can reduce your blood pressure significantly. This is excellent news for anyone who is at risk for a heart attack or stroke because even decreasing your blood pressure by as little as 2mm can lead to a 4% reduction in the likelihood of it happening.
4. They can reduce your anxiety
We all feel stress occasionally, and coping with anxiety-inducing situations is just part of life. If you’re freaked out or having a panic attack about your public speaking engagement or stressing about some embarrassing thing you did, your pet may be able to help you.
Studies show that your pet is better at helping you cope with stress than a spouse, friend, or family member is. That’s a pretty good advantage of having a pet at home!
5. They can make you live longer
According to Time Magazine, dog owners do in fact live longer and healthier lives. A massive Swedish study tracked 3.4 million people for 12 years, studying their cardiovascular health—and whether they registered as a dog owner or not.
They found that dog owners had a 33% reduced chance of dying and an 11% reduced chance of having a heart attack versus those who did not own a dog. This was still true even after controlling for other factors. That’s a fantastic difference which is a great advantage for having a pet at home.
6. They can ease loneliness
Even if you have a non-traditional animal, such as a bird or a fish, they can still make you feel less lonely. If you are isolated from other people, or merely going through a rough patch where communicating with other human beings is difficult, having a bond with an animal can make a big difference in your emotional well being.
7. They help you build better bonds with other humans
Not only can your pet help you feel less lonely when there are no other humans around, but they can also make meeting new friends more comfortable. Pets can serve as a fantastic icebreaker with strangers, and if you are feeling lost and alone at a party, you can always bring up pets as a topic.
Even if your pet is the kind that makes others run in fear, discussing their friendlier side with others can still help improve your bonds and make you feel more at home in social situations.
8. They may reduce your allergies
This may come as a surprise to allergy sufferers, but a pet may be suitable for your sinuses—or at least your kid’s sinuses, anyway. Exposure to dog and cat dander in infancy can not only reduce their risk of allergies to pets in the future, but it can also reduce their allergies to other allergins in the future.
Studies have shown that mice who were exposed to pet dander showed a lower response to cockroach allergens, which are a very common trigger for asthma attacks.
While we don’t recommend running out and getting a pet you’re allergic to; it’s nice to know that if you can get a pet, it may help your kids avoid the same problem later in life.
9. They make you feel better
Another advantage of keeping pets at home is great for your mind, body, and soul is that pets are just plain good for us. They can ease depression, elevate our moods, and make us smile every day. Even if you’ve had a bad day at work or failed an exam, you can count on that tail to still be wagging, or perhaps a happy greeting chirp from your best bird buddy.
Scientists have long studied the emotional link we have with our pets, but the truth is we don’t need to run a study to know that pets plain make us happy.
10. You can always count the unconditional love of a pet
Maybe the most important benefits of keeping a pet at home; that they always love you, 100% of the time. Your pet will never judge you on your past, never laugh at you for saying something wrong or having a stutter, and loves you even when it isn’t always easy to love yourself.
It’s no wonder that our pets are so easy to bond with and talk to, often a lot easier than other humans who may not be so understanding. When you have that love to back you up, you can do so much more with your life than you would be able to go alone.
Pets are extraordinary for so many different reasons. Regardless of whether your pet is furry, feathered, or scaley, you can get many of the same advantages from them merely because you share a bond. These ten advantages of keeping a pet at home are great for mind, body, and soul just the tip of the iceberg—pets do that much for us. If you don’t already own a furry friend, take a trip to your local animal shelter.
