--- title: 7 Ways Pets Improve Your Health description: When you come home to a purr or wagging tail at the end of a stressful day, the sudden wave of calm you feel isn't... canonical: https://time.com/94581/7-ways-pets-improve-your-health/ author: TIME article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-05-11T14:00:18.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T08:01:20.767Z article:section: Health og:title: 7 Ways Pets Improve Your Health og:description: When you come home to a purr or wagging tail at the end of a stressful day, the sudden wave of calm you feel isn't... og:url: https://time.com/94581/7-ways-pets-improve-your-health/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta56e5c1d311ee918/69868ebe13c79f8459192069/154306989-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: 154306989 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: 7 Ways Pets Improve Your Health twitter:description: When you come home to a purr or wagging tail at the end of a stressful day, the sudden wave of calm you feel isn't... twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta56e5c1d311ee918/69868ebe13c79f8459192069/154306989-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 7 Ways Pets Improve Your Health ## Video: Growing Old Is Better With a Pet. Here's Why [Watch (HLS stream): Growing Old Is Better With a Pet. Here's Why](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/iegEtnwg.m3u8) (1:26)  _Published 2019-04-03. People who are looking to stay well as they age may want to adopt a pet, according to new data from the University of Michigan National Poll on Healthy Aging._ by [Health.com](https://time.com/author/health-com/) ## Health.com May 11, 2014 2:00 PM UTC  English bulldog, against pink background English bulldog, against pink backgroundJasper White—Getty Images by [Health.com](https://time.com/author/health-com/) ## Health.com May 11, 2014 2:00 PM UTC When you come home to a purr or wagging tail at the end of a stressful day, the sudden wave of calm you feel isn’t just your imagination. Research suggests that your fluffy friend truly is good for your physical and mental health. “Pets often provide unconditional acceptance and love and they’re always there for you,” says Gary A. Christenson, MD, chief medical officer at Boynton Health Service at the University of Minnesota. “There is a bond and companionship that makes a big difference in mental health,” not to mention the extra exercise you get from walks and playtime. Read on to learn the surprising ways your pet can boost your health. **Health.com:**[ 27 Mistakes Healthy People Make ](http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20621010,00.html) **Pets may lower your cholesterol** If you have a dog, those daily walks are helping to keep your cholesterol in check, says Rebecca A. Johnson, PhD, director of the Research Center for Human-Animal Interaction at the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine. Plus, a survey by the Australian National Heart Foundation revealed that people who own pets, especially men, tend to have lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels. **Pets help relieve stress** Simply being in the same room as your pet can have a calming effect. “A powerful neurochemical, oxytocin, is released when we look at our companion animal, which brings feelings of joy,” says Johnson. “It’s also accompanied by a decrease in cortisol, a stress hormone.” Through her research with veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), Johnson has witnessed the powerful effects of animals. “One veteran couldn’t leave his home without his wife until we placed a dog with him and in less than a week he was able to go around his town,” she says. **Health.com:** [12 Signs You May Have an Anxiety Disorder](http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20646990,00.html?xid=Time-pets-050714) **Pets may reduce your blood pressure** It’s a win-win: petting your pooch or kitty brings down blood pressure while pleasing your pet. Researchers at the State University of New York at Buffalo discovered that in people already taking medication for hypertension, their blood pressure response to stress was cut by half if they owned a cat or dog. **Pets boost your fitness** A dog is the best companion for a stroll—even better than a friend. Johnson—co-author of _Walk a Hound, Lose a Pound_—led a study at the University of Missouri that found that dog walkers improved their fitness more than people who walked with other people. A separate study found that dog owners walked 300 minutes a week on average, while people who didn’t own dogs walked just 168 minutes a week. And a study in the _Journal of Physical Activity & Health_ found that not only did dog owners walk more than non-owners, they were also 54% more likely to meet the recommended levels of physical activity. **Health.com:** [25 Fat-Burning Exercises You Can Do Anywhere](http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20788704,00.html?xid=Ti) **Pets reduce your cardiovascular disease risk** Lower cholesterol, stress, and blood pressure levels combined with increased fitness may add up to a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease. That’s a theory supported by the American Heart Association. In 2013, the AHA reviewed numerous studies examining the effects of pet ownership on cardiovascular disease risk and concluded that having a furry friend, particularly a dog, is associated with a reduction in risk and increased survival among patients. **Pets may prevent allergies in children** If you had a pet as a kid, you may be in luck. In a study published in _Clinical & Experimental Allergy_, children who were exposed to pets before they were six months old were less likely to develop allergic diseases, hay fever, and eczema as they got older. “In the first year of life, babies who are exposed to dogs in the household are more likely not to have allergies, asthma, and fewer upper respiratory infections,” says Johnson. “If exposed at an early age to dander and allergens, we may be less reactive to them over time.” And kids who grow up around farm animals, dogs, or cats typically have stronger immune systems and a reduced risk of developing asthma or eczema. **Health.com:** [11 Unexpected Seasonal Allergy Triggers](http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20795406,00.html?xid=Time-pets-050714) **Pets relieve depression** Pets can provide social support for their owners, who tend to have better overall wellbeing than non-owners, according to a study published in _Journal of Personality and Social Psychology_. And a large review of studies by the British Psychological Society found that dogs especially promote therapeutic and psychological wellbeing, particularly lowering stress levels and boosting self-esteem, as well as feelings of autonomy and competence. “The calming presence and the social bond that pets bring can be very powerful,” says Dr. Christenson. “Animals give something to focus on instead of the negative thoughts a depressed person is prone to have. When a pet pays attention to you, they’re giving you unconditional love and acceptance.” [This article originally appeared on Health.com.](http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20810305,00.html) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/94581/7-ways-pets-improve-your-health/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/94581/7-ways-pets-improve-your-health/"},"headline":"7 Ways Pets Improve Your Health","datePublished":"2014-05-11T14:00:18.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T08:01:20.767Z","description":"When you come home to a purr or wagging tail at the end of a stressful day, the sudden wave of calm you feel isn't...","url":"https://time.com/94581/7-ways-pets-improve-your-health/","keywords":["Pets"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta56e5c1d311ee918/69868ebe13c79f8459192069/154306989-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Health.com","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/health-com/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta56e5c1d311ee918/69868ebe13c79f8459192069/154306989-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"154306989","caption":"154306989","creditText":"Jasper White—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/94581/7-ways-pets-improve-your-health/","name":"7 Ways Pets Improve Your Health"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Growing Old Is Better With a Pet. 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