WASHINGTON — Do pet owners really live longer? How come some people love animals and others don’t really care?
These are some of the questions leading researcher Dr. John Bradshaw, director of the Anthrozoology Institute at the University of Bristol, explores in his latest book, “The Animals Among Us: How Pets Make Us Human.”
“There’s some research that suggests that there’s actually an underlying genetic difference between people who get on well with animals, enjoy the company of animals, than those who are much more indifferent,” Bradshaw told WTOP’s Dimitri Sotis in a recent interview.
So, does that mean owning a pet automatically adds five more years to your life?
“Just having a pet, there’s no real evidence unfortunately, despite the newspaper headlines, that it’s going to make you live any longer,” Bradshaw said.
He suggested that while it may seem as if dog owners live a bit longer, it could very well be the other way around, where people who are healthy and who are able to take on a “15-year, $30,000 commitment” happen to own a dog. Just having a dog doesn’t necessarily extend your life expectancy.
And what about people who see pets as part of their family? Are they treating an animal the same as a human?
Bradshaw explained how studies of the human brain show that people do perceive pets differently and that calling them a member of the family is just a shorthand. “Our connection with animals is actually subtly different to our connection with humans.”
He also sheds some light on how pets may view their owners. Depending on the pet, human’s aren’t just food providers. For dogs, humans are also an important source of “emotional stability,” Bradshaw said, and they need to attach themselves to people.
And while cats may seem aloof and uncaring, Bradshaw said they get their security not from humans but from places; when they’re removed from the safety of their homes, they get scared.
So, hold on tight to your furry friend, because as technology advances, humans could be in danger of losing a “really important part of our revolution and the way we are,” Bradshaw said.
“I think we’re in danger of losing some of the reality that has been part of human nature for as long as anyone can really record — it could be as long as 50,000 years ago. We’ve had animals living among us, among our families.”
WTOP’s Dimitri Sotis contributed to this report.
