TIME How Dogs Think by The Editors of TIME

Author:The Editors of TIME
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Liberty Street
Published: 2018-06-28T00:00:00+00:00

CARING FOR A PET MAY FOSTER EMPATHY AND PROSOCIAL BEHAVIOR IN CHILDREN—SKILLS THAT ARE RELATED TO HIGHER LEVELS OF WELL-BEING LATER IN LIFE.

HOW DOGS BENEFIT KIDS

While adults derive plenty of perks from dog ownership, children may reap even more profound rewards. “There’s a lot of data showing kids who grow up in a house with a dog develop better social skills and maturity,” Coren says. “It’s almost like they’re learning to interact socially by interacting with dogs.”

One recent review from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland found evidence that caring for a pet—especially a dog or cat—may foster greater levels of empathy and prosocial behaviors in children. These skills in turn are related to higher levels of well-being later in life. “Pets provide an opportunity for children to learn, practice, and become motivated to nurture another living being,” the authors of that study write.

Self-esteem can also be boosted by the presence of a dog. When bullying and schoolyard cliques emerge, having a best friend back at home may ease feelings of isolation or insecurity while increasing feelings of acceptance and social support.

If dogs benefit kids’ emotional health, they also improve physical health. Numerous studies show that kids who grow up in a home with a dog have fewer allergies, especially respiratory allergies. This may be a result of the “hygiene hypothesis,” which holds that early-life exposure to allergens and microorganisms may strengthen the immune system. “Dogs bring some of the yard or outdoors inside with them,” Coren says, “so the child is exposed to low doses of allergens when very young.”

For all that dogs give us, it’s important to remember the most important clause in the agreement we reached with them so many thousands of years ago: that the exchange of interpersonal goodies would be mutual, that both parties to our unlikely contract would always benefit. “People say that dogs are a panacea for everything, but that’s only true if things are good for both the dog and the human,” Bekoff says. “Dogs are not unconditional lovers; their relationships with us are built on cooperation and reciprocity.”

Like all relationships, this one is destructible, and it requires attention and care. But as with all relationships too, if we put in the love and put in the work, it can provide us enormous rewards.

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