This is not crazy: why you need to talk to your pet
Listening to the conversations of the owners of cats and dogs with their four-legged, someone twirls a finger at the temple. And psychologists will only shrug their shoulders – there is nothing abnormal in such behavior.
When I come home, the first person who meets me is not my husband, not my daughter, but Tuna, my daughter’s cat. Sometimes he is too lazy to get up, then dried apricots, my cat, run up to the door first. Of course, I greet them, pick them up in my arms, ask them how their day went. My mother, looking at this, laughs, but somehow suspiciously – as if she is looking closely to see if I have completely lost my brand, if the ghost of forty cats is looming behind me, whom I will certainly lead on my fortieth birthday.
Here I would advise me to have a child. But the child is already there, and conversations with cats still have not stopped.
However, I am not alone in my chatter with animals. My friend lives alone, in the company of only one lapdog named Lottie. She even has an Instagram page. Moreover, the very friend does not have a microblog.
“Only you understand me, my darling,” she says to the dog and kisses her on the nose. In response, she gratefully looks into the eyes and listens to numerous complaints about the boss-goat and the former – also a goat.
Some even manage to earn substantial money on their pets’ Instagram. And how many secrets that the owners share with them are kept by pets!
By the way, what do psychologists say about this?
Psychologist and personal growth coach
“You have to understand that the entire surrounding world consists of matter and it is alive. Even objects hear us. I think many are familiar with this situation when the car does not start for a long time. One has only to name it affectionately, and the motor immediately starts working. “
Many coaches say that you need to control your thoughts, since that’s where it all starts. It is important not to mindlessly utter the words, but to be aware of what and to whom you are saying. Pets are also living beings. As a rule, they are turned on from a lack of communication. You need someone to run, bark and create a sense of life.
Despite the fact that pets cannot answer with a word, they feel everything. Therefore, they may suddenly growl or bark if you are annoyed. Or, on the contrary, they flatter if you brought them something tasty. By observing the behavior and habits of a pet, a person learns to understand its language.
Dialogue with a furry friend also has a therapeutic effect.
For example, when you come home after a long day at work, your favorite fluffy ball falls on your knees. You stroke him, say sweet words, and the anxiety goes away by itself. Everyone is calm and good. You see how the animal calms down in its arms and snores gently. In general, taking care of your pet speaks of you as an intelligent and compassionate person.
By the way
Nicholas Epley, Professor, Department of Personality Psychology, University of Chicago calls anthropomorphism the ability of the individual to transfer the human image and its properties to inanimate objects, to animate beings, to phenomena and forces of nature, to abstract concepts. It is this feature that distinguishes a person from other living beings. The brain aims to see human manifestations everywhere.
“For example, manufacturers try to make the eyes of toys and dolls the most expressive and kind,” explains Anna Garsh. – This is necessary so that the child can endow them with human qualities, learn to show care and empathy (conscious empathy with the current emotional state of another person. – Prim. a row.). “