7 science-backed ways a pet could be the best thing for your health

Americans love their pets.

In fact, most of them have at least one furry friend. Surveys disagree on the exact number, but an estimated 49% to 68% of Americans are pet owners.

In the last few decades, scientists have tried to determine whether the “pet effect” — being healthier just by virtue of being a pet owner, or by interacting with an animal — is real. For the most part, they’ve found that pet owners are healthier, both physically and mentally, than people without pets.

 

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