TIME may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.

Happiness Guide

Animals make socializing easier for kids who find it stressful, says MaggieO'Haire of Purdue. In her study, when children with autism had a guinea pig inthe classroom, they were more social with their peers, smiled and laughed more,and showed fewer signs of stress.

Being a pet in America is a plum gig. Pets are incredibly well loved: according toa 2015 Harris poll, 95% of owners think of their animal as a member of thefamily. About half buy them birthday presents. And it's a two-way street. Peoplewho have pets tend to have lower blood pressure, heart rate and heart-diseaserisk than those who don't. Those health boons may come from the extra exercisethat playing and walking require, and the stress relief of having a steady bestfriend on hand.

Scientists are now digging up evidence that animals can also help improvemental health, even for people with challenging disorders. Though the studiesare small, the benefits are impressive enough that clinical settings are openingtheir doors to animal-assisted interventions--pet therapy, in other words--usedalongside conventional medicine. "It used to be one of the great no-no's to thinkof an animal in a hospital," says Alan Beck, director of the Center for theHuman-Animal Bond at Purdue University, citing the fear of causing infection."Now, I don't know of any major children's hospital that doesn't have at leastsome kind of animal program."

The rise of animal therapy is backed by increasinglyserious science showing that social support--a provenantidote to anxiety and loneliness--can come on four legs,not just two. Animals of many types can help calm stress,fear and anxiety in young children, the elderly andeveryone in between.

More research is needed before scientists know exactlywhy it works and how much animal interaction is neededfor the best results. But published studies show that pawshave a place in medicine and in mental well-being. "Thedata is strong," Beck says. "If you look at what animals dofor people and how we interact with them, it's not

surprising at all." Here's a look some of the cutting-edge science in the field.

Rabbits

In one study, a stressed-out group of adults were told to pet a rabbit, a turtle ortheir toy forms. The toys had no effect. But stroking a living creature, whetherhard-shelled or furry, relieved anxiety. It worked for people regardless ofwhether they initially said they liked animals.

Crickets

Animals don't have to be cuddly to help. In a 2016 study published in the journalGerontology, elderly people who were given five crickets in a cage became less

depressed after eight weeks than a control group. The act of caring for a livingcreature seems to make the difference.

Horses

Among the most-studied therapy animals, horses have been involved in medicaltreatment plans in Europe since the 1860s. Activities like grooming a horse andleading one around a pen have been shown to reduce PTSD symptoms inchildren and adolescents.

Fish

Animals can focus people's attention. When people at an Alzheimer's-diseasefacility dined in front of aquariums with brightly colored fish, they ate more, gotbetter nutrition and were less prone to pacing. They were also more attentiveand less lethargic.

Dogs

Some research suggests that when children who struggle with reading readaloud to a trained dog and handler, they show fewer anxiety symptoms. "Theirattitudes change and their skills improve," says Lisa Freeman, director of theTufts Institute for Human-Animal Interaction.

Guinea pigs

NEXT UP

MOST POPULAR STORIES MORE COVERAGE

MORE FROM TIME.COM

Getty Images

Science Says Your Pet Is Good for YourMental HealthBy Mandy Oaklander

OrganizationExpert MarieKondo DecluttersHer Brain LikeShe DecluttersHer Closets

Organization Expert Marie Kondo Declutters HerBrain Like She Declutters Her ClosetsThink of it as the KonMari Method for your mind.

1 Bill Clinton 'Doing Fine' and WillBe Out of Hospital Soon

2Bitcoin Makes Run TowardRecord High Amid ETFExuberance

3 NASA's Asteroid Hunter LucySoars Into Sky With Diamonds

4Cars Get Stuck at U.S. Garagesfor Weeks in Spare-PartsShortage

5 Netflix Employee Fired in Wakeof Chappelle Special Furor

How to Stay MarriedThere’s a reason fairy tales alwaysend in marriage. It’s because nobodywants to see what comes after. It’s t…grim. Meeting the right person,working through comic

How Your iPhone Photos MakeYou HappierPhotography was once an expensive,laborious ordeal reserved for life’sgreatest milestones. Now, the only…apparent cost to taking infinitephotos of something as mundane as ameal is the space

ENTERTAINMENT

You Season 3 Is the Best Installment Yet—and aBrilliant Send-Up of SuburbiaThis article discusses major plot points, including the ending, of You season 3. Joe Goldbergmay be the terrifying protagonist of You, but You is not really a show about Joe Goldberg. It…a

BUSINESS

Gen Z and Millennials AreLeading a 'Great Reshuffle.'Here's What That Means(To receive weekly emails ofconversations with the world’s topCEOs and business decisionmakers,…click here.) Something big ishappening in American workplaces.Workers are gaining the upper

U.S.

Bill Clinton 'Doing Fine' and WillBe Out of Hospital SoonORANGE, Calif. — Hillary Clintonreturned Saturday morning to theSouthern California hospital where…Bill Clinton is recovering after beingtreated for an infection. The formerpresident is

BUSINESS

Bitcoin Makes Run TowardRecord High Amid ETFExuberanceBitcoin-to-the-moon traders are backwith a vengeance as thecryptocurrency approaches its all-…time high and demand jumps forbullish contracts across cryptoexchanges. The world’s largest

SCIENCE

NASA's Asteroid Hunter LucySoars Into Sky With DiamondsCAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — A NASAspacecraft named Lucy rocketed intothe sky with diamonds Saturday…morning on a 12-year quest toexplore eight asteroids. Seven of themysterious space rocks are

BUSINESS

Cars Get Stuck at U.S. Garages for Weeks in Spare-Parts ShortageThe world’s supply chain woes are bearing down on U.S. auto garages. The challenge offinding spare parts as mundane as oil filters or carpeting has forced repair shops to hoard…inventory,

ENTERTAINMENT

Netflix Employee Fired in Wakeof Chappelle Special FurorLOS ANGELES — Netflix said Fridaythat it had fired an employee fordisclosing confidential financial…information about what it paid forDave Chappelle’s comedy special“The

HEALTH

The FDA's Vaccine Expert PanelRecommends Approval of a J&JBooster for Anyone Who Had a…Initial ShotThe Food and Drug Administration’s(FDA) expert vaccine panel on Friday,Oct. 15, recommended a booster do…of the Johnson&Johnson-JanssenCOVID-19 vaccine. In a unanimousvote, the

ENTERTAINMENT

Why Kyle Richards Thinks She'sthe Michael Myers of RealHousewivesAs the last original cast member ofReal Housewives of Beverly Hills, KyleRichards knows a thing or two abou…survival. This skill set, which hashelped her outlast her peers over 11seasons of the

HISTORY

MIT Reckons with Early Leader'sRole in Forced Removal of NativeAmerican Tribes(CAMBRIDGE, Mass.) — As the thirdpresident of the MassachusettsInstitute of Technology, Francis…Amasa Walker helped usher theschool into national prominence inthe late 1800s. But another

Customer Service Site Map Privacy Policy Ad Choices Terms of Use Your California Privacy Rights Careers© 2021 TIME USA, LLC. All rights reserved.

SEARCH SIGN IN

Get Happy in Life Get Happy at Work Get Happy at Home