I got a puppy last summer, and it has been the most fun, loving, and rewarding experience I have ever had! My mom actually read this book (100 Simple Secrets Why Dogs Make Us Happy: The Science Behind What Dog Lovers Already Know) and recommended I looked at it. As I was glancing through the pages, it was really funny how much sense the book actually made. Having a dog gives us a sense of belonging, love, companionship, and even achievement (when training and raising a dog). Dogs also provide a constant motivator to get off the couch and play or go for a walk (for me at least). I know that I also feel obligated to her to make sure that she is healthy and happy, which also fulfils my affiliation need. Although this is generally intended towards humans, I think that someone can definitely benefit from having a dog. I have also learned in past classes that many therapists recommend getting a pet to their patients of depression or anxiety disorders. Pets provide a sense of stability, and also can provide and endless amount of love and friendship.
Having a dog can fulfill many of our psychological needs. When training a dog, it presents a challenge to be overcome. Our desire to do well in training our dog can fulfill the need for achievement (Reeve, 175). Succeeding in training your dog can be the most rewarding experience, creating a large amount of positive reinforcement and increasing the likelihood you will continue to train the dog. Setting goals in training can also increase motivation to continue training (Reeve, 184). Having things in mind such as "I'll have my dog potty trained by the fall" can increase your motivation to work with your dog. When your dog starts to understand the training techniques, it reinforces your behavior and increases the sense of achievement.
Another area were having a dog can fulfill psychological needs is affiliation and intimacy (Reeve, 192). Establishing a good relationship with your dog can be very rewarding. Dogs can provide constant, unconditional love when they have a strong bond with their owner. Although affiliation is rooted within the fear of rejection, affiliation with your dog can start to calm those anxieties and create a more relationship oriented life style. Dogs are also less likely to reject their owners, so someone with a high need for affiliation would likely have a good relationship with a dog.
The need for power may also be accomplished through owning a dog. The leadership (Reeve, 196) that it takes to own a dog is crucial in training and maintaining a healthy pet. Teaching the dog things that they can and cannot do is something that can create a very power-related relationship between the owner and the dog. Dogs see everything as a power-related situation (this is why many times dogs can have problems with aggression if they feel they have power over the house or over other people, in the dog world it is referred to as "dominance") It is the responsibility of the owner to make sure that the power does not shift from the owner to the dog, or serious aggression and misbehavior problems can occur. With the power safely in the owner's hands, the relationship between dog and owner can be a very positive one.
The book also discusses how people with pets tend to live longer, happier lives than those who choose to live pet-free. Here is a description of the book, which touches on many of the things that we have discussed in class (such as exercise to reduce stress, as well as communication).
From Harper Collins.com:
"Why do people who have dogs live happier, longer, and more fulfilling lives? Sociologists and veterinarians have spent years investigating the positive effects that dogs have on people's health and happiness yet their findings are inaccessible to ordinary people, hidden in obscure journals to be shared with other experts.
Now the international bestselling author of the 100 Simple Secrets series has collected the most current and significant data from more than a thousand of the best scientific studies on the profound relationship between humans and our canine companions. These findings have been boiled down to the one hundred essential ways dogs positively impact our lives. Each fact is accompanied by a inspiring true story. If you love your dog, and science tells us that you do, this book will inspire and entertain.
· Communicate Better: It sounds odd to say a creature that communicates with barking and body language can have such a profound effect on human communication. But by providing a common point of reference and concern, dogs help us to feel a connection to other humans. That connection makes us feel more comfortable communicating with each other. When meeting a new person, the presence of a dog reduces the time before people feel comfortable while talking with each other by 45 percent.
· Live Longer: There is perhaps no better gift that dogs offer us humans than this simple fact. People who care for a dog live longer, healthier lives than those who do not. On average, people who cared for dogs during their lives lived 3 years longer than people who never had a dog.
· No Monkey Business: Primates are genetically more similar to humans than any other creature. But try to tell a chimpanzee something and you will be hard pressed to get your message across. Dogs are uniquely attuned to the messages we send. Dogs study humans and have evolved to build social skills that help them to function around us. Dogs are 52 percent more likely to follow human cues such as pointing toward a source of food than are primates.
· Around the Block: Good habits are often misunderstood as difficult or unpleasant chores. But there is tremendous value in the simple act of taking a walk. Walking not only burns calories, it also decreases stress. Having a dog means regularly talking walks - it's something you do for your dog but in truth your dog is doing for you. Dog owners walk 79 percent farther in an average week than non-dog owners."
Are there other ways that dogs can help fulfill our needs? Is it selfish to think this way? What are some other motivators that people may have to own a dog, or any pet?
Sadie, I enjoyed your article. It caught my attention right away because I have had a similar experience also. Last year I was diagnosed with severe depressiona and I have been battling it for several months now and this article is correct. My counselor also recommended that a pet could be very beneficial to my emotional state, so my sister bought me a puppy. It is a miniature weiner dog and I love her more than I have loved anything before. She gives me a reason to look foward to come home and a reason to be happy everyday. She has most definetly improved my state of mind and emotional state and made me a much happier person. I have also lost weight taking her for walks and she makes me wake up with a smile each day. I think having a dog is the best thing for indivual's with depression or emotional inadequacies. It gives you a sense of being loved and needed and a dog loves their owner unconditionally. I have been doing much better at everything I attempt to do since I have gotten her,so I totally agree with this article that having a pet is positive and beneficiary for indivuals such as myself.
I found this information very interesting and it seems to make a lot of sense. My fiancé and I are currently thinking about adopting a basset hound and we’ve had the opportunity to spend some time with a specific basset hound puppy. Already in the little time we’ve spent with this dog, we’ve become attached. Some of the items that you have listed I have never even thought of to be an advantage of having a dog. I have grown up with dogs my whole life but have never really taken the time to look at what I am getting out of the relationship. They are man’s best friend, they never judge, and are always there by your side.
You can tell that animals, including dogs can help reduce your stress levels. Here at UNI during finals week we have De-Stress Days. This includes Cedar Bend Human Society bringing animals onto campus for the students to interact with. Rider University also brings in dogs for a “Doggie Day Afternoon” for the students. On the Rider University website http://www.rider.edu/175_3381.htm it talks about how dogs do have a therapeutic value. On the website it talks about how studies have shown that even just holding or petting an animal can help to lower blood pressure, can help to release anxiety and stress, decrease the feeling of loneliness, can increase motivation, improve body image(as animals are able to provide unconditional love), and help them to develop trust.
I also have a dog. I agree that dogs and humans have a mutual ability to understand each other's emotions and feelings. To me, dogs are sort of like babies - although they can't speak, parents learn how to tell what their baby needs and how it feels. I agree that dogs make people happier - and healthier (if I didn't have to walk my dog, I'm not sure I would get any exercise - I hate exercising!!).
However, from the book in the original post, it doesn't sound like dogs would have any different outcome than interaction with other humans. We can communicate with each other, exercise together, and I assume that living with another person (vs. alone) would increase a person's life span.
So, I tried to think of some other reasons why making a dog makes me so happy. Maybe it's because she CAN'T talk - sometimes it's nice to have another being around, but not always get their opinion. Sometimes it's nice to have a silent comfort when you need it. But, in Social Psych we just learned about facial feedback. Basically, this concept states that smiling while participating in less desirable activities can actually make you feel the way that you're physically looking. Reeve (2005) discusses that facial musculatures activate glandular responses as well, which can then physiologically change (or influence) our actual feelings and emotions (p. 329). Similar to this is the idea that simply seeing someone else smiling or happy can make you feel the same way. In our text, Reeve (2005) says that there are two ways to tell others' emotions: from the way they act and the antecedents leading up to an action (p. 8). I don't know about you other dog owners, but my dog always seems to be smiling and happy - even when nothing is going on. This, alone, has made me a happier person. Her action (i.e. "smiling") makes me happy. Also, there are times in which her happiness is totally warranted - after a day at the dog park or a long walk or a bone or playing, she seems a lot happier. I do these things for her (antecedents) because it will make her happy, which will then make me happy.
I agree with the original post, but think that there are so many more reasons for why dogs make us happy, including their naturally cheerful disposition.
I really enjoyed reading this post! It made me miss my dog that unfortunately lives with my family in Des Moines (my mom wouldn't give him up, for many of the reasons mentioned above).
I especially enjoyed the comment above mine (rkac) and I think it brings up a good point. The effects of having a dog I think could also be similar to the effects of having a stable significant other (like a husband or wife) because humans can provide even more support than a dog can. However, I do find that dogs are entirely less complicated and it's nice that they provide love and support and can't talk. :)
I agree with the original post that a huge benefit to having a dog is that they can to some degree fulfill the needs of people. I find that especially affiliation needs are fulfilled. The textbook explains how affiliation is "rooted in a fear of interpersonal rejection" (reeve p 192). Since dogs aren't people, they don't fit the description exactly, but they still meet that need to some extent. Dogs very rarely reject their people, so investing in and having a dog involves a low level of fear of rejection, which meets affiliation needs. People with high affiliation needs spend much of their time seeking others' approval, which can be a lot of work. A dog provides approval without much effort on a person's part, which would be a much-needed break for people with high affiliation.
I am a huge dog lover! My family has always had a dog. We currently have two--a yellow lab and a black lab mix. They always seem to make my day whether it's by making me laugh or just by coming up to me and laying down by me. I love them dearly.
Dogs are great companions and are always there for you. They don't reject you, and they love you no matter what. They provide you with acceptance, security, and comfort. So, I agree that they can help satisfy one's need for affiliation. I think dogs can also help satisfy one's need for relatedness to an extent. You may not be able to really establish emotional bonds with them, but you can form attachments with them.
Dogs can help you function better overall as well. They reduce stress, give you a reason to exercise, help with psychological difficulties, and, as was stated in the original post, may help you live longer. In other words, they provide health benefits.
I agree that dogs can help satisfy one's need for achievement. Your standards of excellence (challenges) when owning a dog are to train it and keep it healthy. These challenges can end with objective outcomes of success as long as you work hard and stay dedicated. I've trained my dogs and believe me it's a lot of work. As for the health aspect, you have to remain updated with their shots and vet check-ups. I also agree that dogs can help satisfy one's need for power. As the dog owner, you have to be the one in charge. So, just owning one shows that you have some need for power. Also, through training a dog, you are essentially telling it that you are in charge and that you want it to conform to your plan for it. This prevents misbehavior problems.
I found this post to be very interesting. It shows that dogs make people happy for many reasons.