The study:
http://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/psp-ofp-mcconnell.pdf
The write up in Time for you lazy ass motherfuckers that can't be bothered to read the fucking APA.
QuoteA dog is man's best friend, the old adage tells us — and, indeed, new research shows that when it comes to fulfilling our basic psychological needs, humans do benefit from their pets in much the same way they do from their friends.
Researchers from Miami University and Saint Louis University set out to test whether a person can really lean on his or her pets to "fulfill one's social needs" — that is, to feel connected and in control of one's life. A growing literature in psychology has already shown that among the elderly or the very ill, caring for a pet can help stave off loneliness and even improve physical health. But can pets bolster mental health among people who aren't already feeling isolated from other humans? That was the question the researchers set out to test.
The group, led by Allen McConnell at Miami University, conducted three separate but related studies, which were published together online as a single article in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology early this month.
In the first study, the researchers simply quizzed groups of pet owners and non-owners about their personalities. They found that on average owners were less lonely, had higher self-esteem, and exercised more (although of course it isn't clear whether pets bring out those positive traits in their owners, or whether people with those traits are the ones who seek out pets in the first place).
In the second study, the researchers took a closer look at dog owners in particular. They found that — using standard psychological measures of social needs fulfillment — dogs did indeed help their owners to meet social needs, and that those owners then felt better about life as a result. Most importantly, the researchers found that fulfillment from pets was beneficial no matter how much support the owners were already getting from other people. Friends and family are not a substitute for pets, in other words. Pets are a boon to well-being, regardless of human companionship.
Finally, in the third study, McConnell and colleagues asked a group of college students to think about a time that they had felt socially excluded or rejected. After that miserable exercise, the students were then asked either to write a passage about a best friend, to write about a close pet, or to draw a map of their campus.
The students who wrote about their friends or their pets both felt better afterward, recovering their sense of self-worth and happiness after the exercise in thinking about rejection and isolation. Meanwhile the map-drawing group remained a little glum. The exciting part for the pet owners, however, is that thinking about a pet helped just as much as thinking about best friend. As McConnell et al. write, "one's pet was every bit as effective as one's best friend in staving off social needs deficits."
Overall, though it may come as no surprise to pet owners, this new research shows that people can derive joy and meaning from their pets even when they already have other friends and family to care about them. Perhaps it's as simple as that pets make us feel loved. Long after your kids have left home, your dog will still run to the door to greet you when you get home from work. Or, perhaps, it's that pets make us feel needed. They are a reason to get out of bed every day — even if that reason is only that someone has to feed the cat.
"Belongingness is considered a central need for people," McConnell et al. write. "If pets are 'psychologically close' to their owner, they may provide well-being benefits for the owner just like any other person."
In related news, Veterinary Pet Insurance recently published the most unique pet names they received for coverage for 2011.
Quote
For dogs:
1. Almost-A-Dog
2. Franco Furter
3. Stinkie Mcstinkerson
4. Sir Seamus Mcpoop
5. Audrey Shepburn
6. Dewey Decimell
7. Knuckles Capone
8. Beagle Lugosi
9. Shooter Mclovin
10. Uzi Duzi-Du
For kitties:
1. Ozzy Pawsbourne
2. Mr. Meowgi
3. Murderface
4. Fuglee
5. Scruffernutter
6. Corporal Cuddles
7. Cat Masterson
9. Tape W. Orm
10. Louisiana Purchase
My cat is named Brown Cat. Well the brown one is. The grey one is named Grey Cat. :)
I don't think that's really the case. As the unmarried forumites get older and older, they become less and less stable, pets or no.
Audrey Shepburn :lol:
Quote from: Neil on July 24, 2011, 08:06:04 PM
I don't think that's really the case. As the unmarried forumites get older and older, they become less and less stable, pets or no.
:lol:
I wish I could have a cat - but cats are not deferential enough - not to mention the madness inducing toxin in their shit;
I wish I could have a dog - but dogs are too high maintenance and I'm lazy;
I wish I could have a boy - but boys are stubborn self deluded human maggots - despite their lovely figures;
So I'm left with you asswipes and crowpipes... *sigh*
G.
Quote from: Neil on July 24, 2011, 08:06:04 PM
I don't think that's really the case. As the unmarried forumites get older and older, they become less and less stable, pets or no.
: /
Quote from: Ideologue on July 24, 2011, 09:28:09 PM
Quote from: Neil on July 24, 2011, 08:06:04 PM
I don't think that's really the case. As the unmarried forumites get older and older, they become less and less stable, pets or no.
: /
You're not getting older, don't worry. Aren't you 19 or so?
Those pet names are terrible.
QuoteMr. Meowgi
Cat Masterson
:lol:
Quote from: Neil on July 24, 2011, 09:42:39 PM
Quote from: Ideologue on July 24, 2011, 09:28:09 PM
Quote from: Neil on July 24, 2011, 08:06:04 PM
I don't think that's really the case. As the unmarried forumites get older and older, they become less and less stable, pets or no.
: /
You're not getting older, don't worry. Aren't you 19 or so?
Ouch, man, ouch.
Quote from: sbr on July 24, 2011, 09:52:13 PM
QuoteMr. Meowgi
Cat Masterson
:lol:
I thought those two were absolute genius.
Quote from: CountDeMoney on July 24, 2011, 09:54:20 PM
Quote from: sbr on July 24, 2011, 09:52:13 PM
QuoteMr. Meowgi
Cat Masterson
:lol:
I thought those two were absolute genius.
Most of them are amusing, those two really lit me up though.
Right up there with General Mewlysses S. Grant.
Quote from: Ideologue on July 24, 2011, 09:53:31 PM
Quote from: Neil on July 24, 2011, 09:42:39 PM
Quote from: Ideologue on July 24, 2011, 09:28:09 PM
Quote from: Neil on July 24, 2011, 08:06:04 PM
I don't think that's really the case. As the unmarried forumites get older and older, they become less and less stable, pets or no.
: /
You're not getting older, don't worry. Aren't you 19 or so?
Ouch, man, ouch.
You know what's weird? I don't really appreciate that the forumites are getting older.
Well, I'm not Doogie Howser, J.D., for one thing. :P
I do appear in only my early twenties, however, which I chalk up to healthy diet and excellent repair genes. :hmm:
Quote from: Ideologue on July 24, 2011, 10:30:34 PM
Well, I'm not Doogie Howser, J.D., for one thing. :P
I do appear in only my early twenties, however, which I chalk up to healthy diet and excellent repair genes. :hmm:
:yeahright:
Quote from: katmai on July 24, 2011, 11:10:13 PM
Quote from: Ideologue on July 24, 2011, 10:30:34 PM
Well, I'm not Doogie Howser, J.D., for one thing. :P
I do appear in only my early twenties, however, which I chalk up to healthy diet and excellent repair genes. :hmm:
:yeahright:
I bet if I sold it as a plan, it would do gangbusters.
Do those things have to be evaluated by the FDA?
I had a G. Gordon Kitty at one point, in response to Kain naming a new cat Dr. Henry Kittenger. :hmm:
Quote from: Ideologue on July 24, 2011, 09:53:31 PM
Quote from: Neil on July 24, 2011, 09:42:39 PM
Quote from: Ideologue on July 24, 2011, 09:28:09 PM
Quote from: Neil on July 24, 2011, 08:06:04 PM
I don't think that's really the case. As the unmarried forumites get older and older, they become less and less stable, pets or no.
: /
You're not getting older, don't worry. Aren't you 19 or so?
Ouch, man, ouch.
Don't worry, you're still getting less stable anyway.
Quote from: DontSayBanana on July 25, 2011, 10:40:31 AM
I had a G. Gordon Kitty at one point, in response to Kain naming a new cat Dr. Henry Kittenger. :hmm:
No Richard Meowlhous Nixon?
At this point, I'm just waiting for Lettow to chip in with a John Wilkes Mewth. :P
Quote from: DontSayBanana on July 25, 2011, 06:44:44 PM
At this point, I'm just waiting for Lettow to chip in with a John Wilkes Mewth. :P
Or Robert E. Squee.
Poor cats, having such atrocious puns for names. :(
Our cats: Kitty, Whisky, and Trotsky.
Our dogs: Ozzy, and Birdie.
Quote from: Scipio on July 25, 2011, 08:06:43 PM
Our dogs: Ozzy, and Birdie.
Which one mangles the process servers, btw?
Drut.
Quote from: Grallon on July 24, 2011, 08:24:57 PM
I wish I could have a cat - but cats are not deferential enough - not to mention the madness inducing toxin in their shit;
You do realize you can have a cat without having to consume its shit?
Quote from: The Minsky Moment on July 26, 2011, 11:29:42 AM
Quote from: Grallon on July 24, 2011, 08:24:57 PM
I wish I could have a cat - but cats are not deferential enough - not to mention the madness inducing toxin in their shit;
You do realize you can have a cat without having to consume its shit?
:lol:
Quote from: The Minsky Moment on July 26, 2011, 11:29:42 AM
Quote from: Grallon on July 24, 2011, 08:24:57 PM
I wish I could have a cat - but cats are not deferential enough - not to mention the madness inducing toxin in their shit;
You do realize you can have a cat without having to consume its shit?
:lol:
While this is hilarious, without full hazmat gear, you are likely to recieve a t. gondii infection. It's not "madness inducing," though, because it is adapted to making rats get eaten by cats, not humans.