SophiaofPrussia t1_j270at0 wrote
Reply to comment by konqueror321 in Owning a pet is linked to having better cognitive health in advanced age, study finds by nikan69
I think it’s more likely that it goes both ways. Pets require you to do things that are good for you that you otherwise might not do. If you’re depressed or achy or feeling down and tempted to stay in bed all day that’s just not going to happen when you have a hungry demanding cat or a dog who needs to go out. Walks, even short walks, are good for you. I’ve taken my dog on so many walks I did not at all want to go on because it was chilly or rainy or dark or I was tired or whatever. Sometimes I wish I had started tracking how many steps I’ve taken with my dog to see how many miles of walking I do with him that I otherwise wouldn’t have done. I bet it would be a lot more than I realize. Maybe I’ll track that in 2023 just for fun!
YourUncleBuck t1_j276du1 wrote
They also keep you from being lonely, which is never good for your mental health either.
>Education has been found to reduce the likelihood of developing dementia and a number of other factors have been found to have the same effect. These factors include physical inactivity, depression, social isolation, cardiovascular disease, hypertension and chronic stress.
>Pet ownership is one aspect of lifestyle that is known to influence many health and disease outcomes via emotional support and stress buffering.
SerialStateLineXer t1_j299uz0 wrote
Reasoning about cause and effect when it comes to this kind of thing is really hard, and frankly, a lot of people in epidemiology and especially journalists just aren't that good at it. Researchers get fooled by reverse causation and confounders all the time, and it's very easy for fallacious conclusions and spurious findings to get laundered into "fact" through repeated citation. This is especially likely to happen with feel-good stuff like "pets prevent Alzheimer's" or "wine prevents heart disease."
Maybe dog ownership improves health by promoting exercise, but there's very unlikely to be any real direct, clinically important biological effect of warm fuzzy feelings or reduced loneliness or whatever.
pennyfanclub t1_j27gb8c wrote
This is one of the main reasons I’d like to get a dog with my partner in the next couple years. It’s very hard for me to motivate myself to take regular walks/leave my house/be in the sun outdoors/touch grass. Having a creature who will be guaranteed to poop in my house if I don’t take him outside and around the block is amazing motivation. I’m currently a pet sitter on the side and damn do I feel better mentally and physically when I watch dogs who need many walks throughout the day.
LucyRiversinker t1_j27mz0d wrote
I can attest to that. You get an hour of exercise daily. Just make sure to teach your dog to poop/pee early in the walk and then walk at a good pace.
Shovi t1_j289zdv wrote
Google fit is a fun little app to have. I sometimes go out of my way to achieve the daily goals if im out and about and have the time.
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