Anyone with a pet would tell you what a huge impact your furry friend can have on your day-to-day happiness. Just looking at their cute little face or wagging tail can almost instantly lift your spirits.
And now new research has just given us another reason to be ridiculously grateful for our beloved pets: it looks like they really can have a significant impact on our mental health.
Seemingly confirming what we’ve long suspected, researchers from the universities of Liverpool, Manchester and Southampton have found that pets provide benefits to those suffering from mental health conditions.
In the new study, published in the journal BMC Psychiatry, the team reviewed 17 studies to determine the long-term impact of pets on mental health management.
And, while the researchers acknowledge that there are some potentially negative impacts of pet ownership, including the psychological impact of losing your four-legged friend, they concluded that having a pet is probably beneficial for mental wellbeing overall..
‘Our review suggests that pets provide benefits to those with mental health conditions,’ said lead study author Dr Helen Brooks in a release.
‘Further research is required to test the nature and extent of this relationship, incorporating outcomes that cover the range of roles and types of support pets confer in relation to mental health and the means by which these can be incorporated into the mainstay of support for people experiencing a mental health problem.’
Previous research has also shown that pets can positively impact everything from our life expectancy to our weight, so make sure you give your furry BFF a whole lot of love today.
