Pets are heaven-sent, animal-lovers would know this. They are simply life’s greatest treasure because apart from being adorable balls of pure joy, they also help us with our daily struggles.
Science has backed the many wonders of being a pet owner, like reducing your triglyceride and cholesterol levels and increasing opportunities for you to socialize. But the fun stops when you have to head your way out for work and they just stare at the door for hours before finally understanding that you are not coming back anytime soon.
Bringing Pets to Office
Did you picture that out? A sad scene, we know. But what if you don’t have to leave the four-legged creature behind and bring them to work instead? It might do, not just you, some good, but the entire workplace may benefit from your cuddly buddy, according to a research.
It’s not exactly an outlandish idea, if you think about it, because the atmosphere in the office may get toxic and too serious, which the animals are really good at dealing with.
England’s Open University’ Marie-Jose Enders, who analyzed the relationship between humans and animals, said petting a dog can bring your cortisol level down — this is the hormone responsible for stress response. On the other hand, a pet can stimulate the release of more oxytocin, which makes you feel relaxed.
Enduring the Tough Times
Even at home, you will feel instantly happy just by interacting with your dog. But the man’s best friend greatly helps us far more than reducing stress in the workplace and at home, it also aids you during tough times at work (read: when your boss is furious at you or scolded you), Marie-Jose pointed out, because the animal can help you put things in perspective – they give you the opportunity to walk them and clear your mind off of things.
Helping Increase Productivity
This doesn’t mean that cats aren’t as helpful as dogs – they both help keep the stress levels at the workplace at bay, which is good news for a cat person!
According to Lotte Spijkerman, a behavioral psychologist, both pets naturally help you become more productive. How? It’s because they engage with you in their own accord, meaning they move and do as they want. If they come near you or just inch their way to your lap, then maybe you need to take a break.
This wasn’t the first time a research had underlined the importance of office pets. In 2012, a Virginia Commonwealth University study had the same results after the team of researchers checked the saliva samples of different groups at the workplace: those who had not brought dogs at the office, those who did, and those who didn’t have pets.
Three groups had the same baseline stress, but interestingly, workers who did not bring their cuddle buddies at the office were noted to have “significantly higher” stress levels.