Contents
This is how pets can positively influence people’s lives
Psychology
That which is said about The dog is man’s best friend It has a foundation, and that is, many people count their four-legged companion as one of the family. Not only do dogs fall into this category, felines can also be great company.
In Spain, 47,5% of the population lives with an animal and, within this group, 70% of those who share a roof with a dog confess with him and explain things that they do not tell anyone else. This is how a study by the Affinity Animals and Health Foundation Chair of the Department of Psychiatry of the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB) tells it, which is dedicated to studying and deepening the link between people and their pet.
This link contributes a thousand benefits to pet owners. Jaume Fatjó, director of the Affinity Animals and Health Foundation chair, comments that although each owner and companion animal relationship is different, as with human relationships, these tend to have common elements. The professional highlights two: the feeling of company and emotional support.
«People say they feel accompanied, on top of thatIt is a constant company. Sometimes we have a very wide social network but not everyone is available all the time. People who have animals feel that when they come home after a long day their dog or cat is always waiting for them, ”says Jaume Fatjó.
Easier with our pet
On the other hand, there is emotional support. The expert explains that a pet can help us overcome difficult moments, “which do not have to be tragedies”, but simply after a difficult day, you can feel support.
The data from the study reinforces this idea. 80% of Spaniards recognize that the presence and company of their dog has helped them overcome a difficult moment in their lives. 90% of Spaniards feel constantly accompanied by their dog, as well as 73% consider that he is constantly aware of him.
Although it may seem that dogs are animals with which an emotional bond is more easily formed, it does not have to be that way. “People think that the relationship with a cat is more distant, less emotional, but that is a myth,” says Jaume Fatjó, adding that in reality the emotional dimension of relationships with dogs and cats is “practically the same.” He comments that if we measure the emotional benefit, when comparing the population of owners of cats and dogs it is seen that it is a very similar data. “Obviously we don’t play with a dog like we do with a cat, we don’t take it for a walk, for example. Yes, the staging changes but not the emotional component, “he says. 65% of people who live with a cat show an emotional bond with him. A figure practically equal to that of people who live with a dog.
They are no longer help for living alone
The study debunks another myth of widespread belief. People who live alone do not have a deeper or emotional relationship with their pet. 66% of people who live in company establish a more emotional relationship with their pets, while the percentage is 67% among people who live alone.
We speak of an emotional relationship because the study also contemplates another model of relationship: pragmatics. “When analyzing the data, we have used a standardized measurement instrument, a scientifically validated questionnaire that allows us to analyze the population, and we have observed that, for example, with dogs there are two relationship profiles, emotional and pragmatic,” explains the professional , who goes on to explain that “both are good profiles”, but in one the emotion is especially intense, although in all relationships there is an emotional relationship.
Finally, in relation to gender, the study does not observe that women establish more emotional ties than men, as can be believed a priori.