If you have ever had a pet, you know what it’s like to have a comforting companion unconditionally by your side. It’s hard to imagine a life without pets once you recognize the beneficial impact they’ve made in your life. Pets in general seem to be a common positive topic when one needs cheering up. The bond that animals and humans share is a particularly special one. Animals give a sense of comfort, love, and companionship to people. Humans grow a positive emotional attachment to their pets, which is why pets play such an important role of support and companionship. Animal companionship is also an important support because it is extraordinarily different than the companionship from another person. Animals are just different, which is why
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Differing from human support, animal social support can actually be more effective for some people. For some pet owners, their daily interaction with their pets can actually be more consistent and effective than their interactions with other people.Those with anxiety can especially benefit from animals as a social support. Animals are also shown to positively facilitate interactions between people. “It is now firmly established that being accompanied by a pet animal, especially a dog, increases the number of positive social interactions between owner/handler and other people dramatically” (Fine 54). Specifically for people with social anxiety, social interaction can be difficult and pets can create a positive facilitation for social …show more content…
However, for some people, support from human relationships may be absent simply because they lack sufficient human relationships. In other circumstances, accessing human support may be difficult because it is hard to ask for or people who are expected to give support fail to do so for a variety of reasons” (Fine 58).
Especially for patients with anxiety or depression, social interaction with other people can be quite disheartening, which is why animals can effectively be a social support. Animals can also be a tool for social support for those facing depression while grieving the loss of a loved one. When a person loses a loved one, they also lose that social support from that person. Studies show that animals have helped grieving people with their depression by giving them another form of social support to fill the one they just lost. (Fine
Differing from human support, animal social support can actually be more effective for some people. For some pet owners, their daily interaction with their pets can actually be more consistent and effective than their interactions with other people.Those with anxiety can especially benefit from animals as a social support. Animals are also shown to positively facilitate interactions between people. “It is now firmly established that being accompanied by a pet animal, especially a dog, increases the number of positive social interactions between owner/handler and other people dramatically” (Fine 54). Specifically for people with social anxiety, social interaction can be difficult and pets can create a positive facilitation for social …show more content…
However, for some people, support from human relationships may be absent simply because they lack sufficient human relationships. In other circumstances, accessing human support may be difficult because it is hard to ask for or people who are expected to give support fail to do so for a variety of reasons” (Fine 58).
Especially for patients with anxiety or depression, social interaction with other people can be quite disheartening, which is why animals can effectively be a social support. Animals can also be a tool for social support for those facing depression while grieving the loss of a loved one. When a person loses a loved one, they also lose that social support from that person. Studies show that animals have helped grieving people with their depression by giving them another form of social support to fill the one they just lost. (Fine