Pets Stave Off Those ‘Nobody Loves Me’ Blues

People may derive more benefits from an animal companion than from a human one, says a Dutch psychologist.

It has long been recognized that people who have emotional support at home suffer fewer illnesses and recover more quickly when they get ill than those with little or no support.

But Marie Jose Enders Slegers, who has presented the findings of her long-term study of pets and the elderly to the British Psychological Association, found that animals give that support in a unique way.

“All old people say they are lonely, and that predisposes them to various forms of mental and stress-related illness,” says Enders Slegers, who works at the University of Utrecht.

“When I looked at those with pets, it was clear that they suffered less. And remarkably, though women who had lost their husbands were lonelier than those who had not, as you would expect, those who had pets were less lonely than those who had husbands but did not have pets.”

Slegers’ study is part of an increasing body of research which points to the therapeutic value of domestic animals.

Recent studies have shown that Europe’s 200 million-plus pet owners are less likely to suffer heart disease, depression, migraine and minor ailments such as headaches and colds. They also tend to have lower cholesterol and to live longer.

In previous studies, the good health of dog owners was attributed to their getting more exercise. But British psychologists studying people’s relationships with their pets believe the effect is deeper.

“Animals can offer an unconditional level of support that cannot always be relied upon in human relationships,” says June McNicholas, who has just completed a study at the University of Warwick.

“Human relationships are complicated by other factors. You may ask someone for help and not get it, or they may give it and feel you owe them something, or they may have an emotional saturation point.

“With animals, you can just dump all your emotional baggage on them.

“There is some evidence that storing it up can depress the immune system. Tell your family you have terminal cancer and you will frighten them, causing other problems for you to deal with. Tell your dog, and it gives you a release without the complications.”

To spread awareness of pets’ therapeutic benefits, the International Association of HumanAnimal Interaction Organizations is holding a conference in Geneva in September.

According to one of the organizers, Dr. Dennis Turner of the Institute for Applied Animal Psychology, the long-term benefits are just being realized.

“On acquiring a new cat or dog,” says Turner, “people show statistically significant improvement in their health and have fewer headaches, sleeping difficulties, colds and flu, painful joints, indigestion, eye troubles and hay fever.”

This, he says, applies “for at least the following 10 months.”

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