This is my new column in the Northern Pen!
It is published by-weekly and I will also post it here later.
Read my column number 2:
Feel good pets (2)
Column by Bernadette Calonego
Published in the Northern Pen
April 22, 2013
When I visited Newfoundland first, it struck me how people here often seemed to expect the worst. I was raised on Positive Thinking. When you have positive thoughts, then good things happen to you. Not here: When you say: “What a lovely day”, a reply could be: “Yes, but we`ll pay for that.”
But at the same time, Newfoundlanders seemed generally content. I was baffled by this contradiction. Until I discovered there was a method to the madness. When you expect the worst and something good happens, it is even better. And when something bad happens, you are not so disappointed because you had predicted it. Genius, these Newfoundlanders.
To get to the bottom of this, I made a random survey and asked people to tell me about their moments of happiness. Well, a lot of things make people on the Northern Peninsula happy. “When my back pain is gone”, said one man. A young woman feels happiness “when I take a walk on a bright sunny day”. Another woman feels happiest “when I know I have truly helped someone”.
A man feels happiness when he has bought a lottery ticket and imagines that he has won. (Maybe he should know that research has found out that people return to their normal level of previous happiness once the novelty of being rich has worn off.) A student connects happiness with flying. A former teacher is happy when the students connect the dots, “when they have this AH HA moment.” Another teacher says: “One of the things that brings me happiness the most is helping people succeed.”
But a lot of people on the Northern Pen-insula feel happy because of their pets. One woman wrote that “hearing my dogs and my husband snore” makes her happy: “All is good in my world!”
Happiness and pets – this does not come as a surprise when you look at scientific studies done in the past. Dave Hepburn, a doctor, listed them in the Vancouver Sun: People who have pets are less depressed or anxious. A study of the University of Missouri also showed that within minutes of patting a dog, there is a massive release of feel-good hormones in your body. No wonder that some universities have puppy rooms for students to reduce their stress during exams!
Research also found out that pet owners feel needed and responsible which may stimulate the survival incentive. And Seniors who have pets have far fewer doctor visits and sleep better.
People can say what makes them happy. And pets? They cannot talk. But we can see when a pet is not happy. When dogs who are pack animals, are left alone most of the day, without social contacts with humans or other dogs, they are clearly not happy. They bark excessively or become depressed. Or they start chewing.
When cats are unhappy, for instance when they have to live in shelters for months on end, they pull their own fur out or begin to lick the walls. The good thing with pets is: if they are happy, it is good for humans, too. If you walk the dog, it is good for your health and you can lose weight. Cheaper than a gym. When a cat purrs on your lap because she can trust you, it lowers your blood pressure. Research has also shown that patients who own a dog are eight times more likely to survive one year after a heart attack. But of course, this happens only if the dog is actually your companion and not just some sad ornament you have forgotten in your backyard.
Pets and humans – that is what they call a Win-Win-situation. And you don`t even have to buy a lottery ticket in order to win!
