Contents
Everything your dog teaches your mind without you noticing
Psychology
Living with a pet improves our relationships, reduces the feeling of loneliness and improves our self-esteem
The dog is man’s best friend, and in a time as rare as the one we live in, in which we are faced with a new type of loneliness, for many, their pet is their great companion. It is said that there are those who took a dog during confinement, to be able to alleviate the lack of company, and now they are discovering everything that it means to have a pet. Yes, it comes with new obligations, but also a multitude of benefits that we are often not aware of.
«The most basic and well-known benefit is affection that transmits a pet in a 100% sincere way, without folds and from pure non-verbal language “, says Aída Rubio, psychologist
and coordinator of the TherapyChat team of psychologists. Affection sets in motion greater production of Serotonin, dopamine and oxytocin in our body, which in turn generate great well-being, and especially help people who experience loneliness.
In turn, the psychologist comments that having a pet helps us to shape our own emotional expression, lowering the inhibitions even of those who find it most difficult to express them if they are open to experience. “Another collateral effect is the training of empathy by having to learn to read the needs and feelings of our pet,” says the professional.
Another of the virtues of having a pet is protected in a more practical sense, since having someone to take care of makes those who are going through times of suffering able to redirect your gaze and attention from the inside to the outside. “On the other hand, it creates a responsibility for us, it generates an objective and a vital project, in short, a purpose and a feeling of usefulness that also increases our self-esteem”, sums up Aída Rubio.
Is it good to talk to your pet?
There are those who have a habit of talking to their pets. Aída Rubio, psychologist and coordinator of the TherapyChat team of psychologists, comments that although we usually understand each other very well with our dog or cat through non-verbal language, and most of our own language is also, we must not forget that a large part of our expression is done by words.
«A pet is not a human, but we tend to have with them quite humanized relationships always respecting their own needs. The pet appreciates the affection that a human gives him, even in the form of words “, explains the professional. In this way, talking to pets is, in a way, giving them a place in our lives. “We also value positively on an emotional level nurturing this relationship in the ways we know how to do it,” says the psychologist.
For example, if we live alone, the company of a pet may be essential; is with us in good times and bad, and we create a bond with her. But it is not only that, says the psychologist that having a pet teaches us a lot on an emotional and social level, some learnings that we will later be able to transfer to the rest of our social relationships.
Also, living with a pet can give us a “purpose”: being responsible for someone makes us stay in touch with the world. In particular, children and the elderly can benefit from it. If we talk about the second group, Aída Rubio explains that the older ones «have been caregivers all their lives, have also had domestic and work responsibilities, and find themselves at a time of their lives when this is not the case, but rather they are the ones who should be cared for, can lower your self-esteem and produce a moment of vital crisis». “Having a pet can give them back that part of their identity and help them adjust to their new life,” he adds.