The research was presented at the first Summit on Social Isolation and Companion Animals.
New York, May 10, 2019: Owning a pet increases human interaction and combats the increasing health concerns around loneliness, according to the researchers. They suggested government should do more to encourage it.
Researchers released new data Tuesday that show about 40% of people support a government push to increase interaction with pets. The research was presented at the first Summit on Social Isolation and Companion Animals by Mars Petcare and the Human Animal Bond Research Institute. Mars Petcare even gives consumers tips on how to convince government officials to make their cities more pet friendly.
As per one researcher loneliness is as dangerous to health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. That makes it a health concern on par with obesity. Nancy Gee, human-animal interaction research manager at Mars’ Waltham Centre for Pet Nutrition, says showing other people pictures of your pet and even talking to that cat or dog are both typical and healthy behaviors.
“When we think about loneliness, we need attachment figures and pets meet that need,” says Gee. “You don’t have to worry about confidentiality or judgement. It just is what it is.” The caricature of reclusive hoarders and pets wasn’t borne out in the online survey of 2,036 people, which included 1,469 pet owners for HABRI and Mars Petcare. Finding say, more than half (54%) of respondents say their pet helps them connect with other people. And 51% said their pets make them “feel less shy.”
About one in four pet owners said they got a pet because they know it is good for mental health. More than half of people 55 and over got their pet for that reason. Nearly three-quarters (73%) of those surveyed believe nursing homes and assisted-living facilities have a degree of responsibility to foster pet interaction.
(Inputs from USA Today)
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