Animals are our salvation! They free us from boredom, loneliness, and lack of love and communication. We can talk to them, and they just look at us with their shining eyes and remain silent. Or they meow and bark, but the main thing is — they don’t argue! Now scientists have identified another advantage of having a pet at home: according to the results of the study, they help slow the decline of cognitive functions in elderly people.
Previously, many studies have shown that having a dog or cat positively affects a person's physical and mental well-being — we even compiled a selection of scientifically backed benefits of being a cat owner! Now, a team of researchers from the University of Maryland in the U.S. has found that having a pet also slows cognitive decline.
The researchers analyzed data from 637 participants aged 51 to 101 years. The observation period lasted 13 years. Of the total number of respondents, only 29% had pets (67 people with cats, 84 with dogs).
Throughout the observation period, participants underwent tests to determine cognitive abilities. At the end of the experiment, the scientists noted that with age, mental functions declined in all subjects without exception. However, for pet owners, cognitive decline occurred significantly slower.
The results of the study showed that participants with pets experienced little to no deterioration in memory, executive functions, language skills, psychomotor speed, and information processing speed over the ten years of observation.
“Cat owners showed less deterioration in memory and language functions. Walking dogs was also associated with a slower decline in cognitive functions,”
Interestingly, all positive effects remained even after accounting for age, health status, and lifestyle of the respondents.
According to the researchers, such results may be explained by the fact that pet owners experience less stress, are more relaxed, and do not dwell on negativity.
