THE BENEFITS OF PETS FOR HUMAN HEALTH
By Dana Casciotti, PhD, and Diana Zuckerman, PhD, National Center for Health Research
Animals play an important role in many people’s lives. They can be used in occupational therapy, speech
therapy, or physical rehabilitation to help patients recover. Aside from these designated therapeutic roles,
animals are also valued as companions, which can certainly affect the quality of our lives. And the better we
understand the human-animal bond, the more we can use it to improve people’s lives.
[5] Some research studies have found that people who have a pet have healthier hearts, stay home sick less
often, make fewer visits to the doctor, get more exercise, and are less depressed. Companion animals may
improve heart health by lowering blood pressure and regulating the heart rate during stressful situations.
In a 2002 study, researchers found that people with a dog or cat were less likely to have spikes in heart rates
and blood pressure while performing stressful tasks, and their heart rates and blood pressure returned to
[10] normal more quickly. Besides, pets may also have a significant impact on allergies, asthma, social support,
and social interactions with other people.
It makes sense to conduct more studies on how human-animal interaction influences our health. However, we
don’t yet know exactly what types of animals influence what types of health issues and what characteristics
about human-animal interaction are most important. If research shows specific health benefits under
[15] specific circumstances, that information can be used to change policies in ways that benefit even more
adults and children.
Adapted from center4research.org. Accessed 20 April 2022.
And the better we understand the human-animal bond, the more
we can use it to improve people’s lives. (l. 3-4)
The underlined words above convey the following idea:
