Why do people have pets?
As a skeptic and someone that never had a pet, all I see in pets are creatures that are very needy and you have to look after, take care when sick, sometimes with expensive procedures, and are a burden if you have to stay away for any time longer than a few hours.
That said, the furthest to a conclusion I reached for the answer to "why people have pets?" is that pets, mostly dogs, somewhat resemble the reaction that people that love or care about you have with you, although that's arguably instinctive. For example: a Dog seems happy when he see the owner, just like a girlfriend or family member does. And that is usually taken by people as a reason to bound. Other more simple explanation is that pets are cute and we like to have them around.
So is there any scientific explanation to why people have pets?
(2)2 Comments
Sorted by latest first Latest Oldest Best
There is a special edition from Scientific American this month with an article that happens to discuss this. The article is "Pets: why do we have them", by Daisy Yuhas.
From the article:
Researchers led by Christof Koch of the Allen Institute for Brain Science in Seattle have found neurons in the amygdala , an area invovled in emotions, that respond preferentially to animal images. The 2011 finding hints at a neural basis for the powerful emotional reactions animals elicit from us.
Other points in the article is that hugging pets leads to higher levels of oxytocin, that pets give social connectedness and provide relief from stress.
It was also pointed out that pets tend to have the forms that we associate with babies/children, such as large eyes and soft contours. But if I understand the article right, it is not yet proven that this leads to our positive response towards pets.
As a personal note, I believe that there are evolutionary reasons. Domesticating wolves into dogs was beneficial for both, for example.
I believe that people have pets because it makes them feel happy and joyful. It also allows people to develop friendship skills and be a better person. One more thing is that pets can make people feel less lonely.
Terms of Use Privacy policy Contact About Cancellation policy © freshhoot.com2025 All Rights reserved.