In “The Animals Among Us” John Bradshaw explains how living with pets has always been fundamental to human beings, as well as shows how common the practice of having a pet has always been for humans no matter what time period they lived in. The book is extremely enjoyable to read. What is more, it touches upon a variety of controversial aspects, such as: why is the relationship between humans and pets often irrational, yet half of American and British households keep at least one pet? Why do we choose to keep some animals as pets, yet are completely fine with using others as food? These are only a few questions you will find answers to if you keep reading this fascinating book. Here are some of the most significant aspects to pay attention to.
The science behind and the reasons why we love our pets so much
John Bradshaw uses the perspectives of evolutionary psychology to explain why we feel so attached to pets and develop the need to keep an animal at home. Pets are good for us due to a variety of reasons. Some of these reasons are obvious. Others are not. For instance, walking the dog makes us healthier. Yet, we don’t even notice how much exercise we get because this activity presupposes caring for our pet which is why we do it regularly. Apart from that, you have definitely noticed how many pet-based therapies are available these days whether it is dogs caring for the victims of natural disasters, helping the elderly or assisting war veterans in dealing with PTSD.
If you take a look at the evolutionary perspective, you’ll quickly realize that animals have been around humans for thousands of years. What is more, a lot of our predecessors kept dogs, for instance because they needed protection or another friendly soul around them. Since dogs were domesticated from wolves, it became obvious that human beings wanted to have pets around for a very long time. What is more, we have managed to coevolve with dogs for so long that they have become an integral part of our lives. The same goes for cats. Taking everything into account, the main reason why we love pets so much, as well as why it is so comfortable for us to coexist with them is due to the fact that it has an adaptive advantage both for us and our pets. In other words, living with pets and caring for them is in our nature.
We’re hard-wired to respond with affection to cuteness
You have definitely noticed how nicely people react when they see a cute animal. Since most people find animals cute, it is not surprising why they react with affection every single time a dog passes by on the street, or when they see a cute cat picture on instagram. What is more, seeing or simply looking at cute animal pictures releases pleasure-giving hormones into our brains. Perhaps, that is one of the main reasons why we enjoy meeting dogs on the street, visiting our friends who have pets, as well as follow so much dog-related content on social media.
Another important aspect to mention is that keeping pets at home helps us develop empathy which, in its turn, is great for the shared humanity of our society.
Taking into consideration the fact that John Bradshaw is one of the world’s leading anthrozoology experts, we tend to believe him when he states that pets have become an essential part of our lives. Furthermore, they are an inevitable part of our society, and we have plenty of scientific evidence to prove it. All in all, our love and affection towards animals has helped us evolve. If we were to take them out of the equation now, we would risk remaining the humane society we are so used to seeing on a daily basis. Apart from that, we would also risk losing a part of ourselves. Animals have become a significant part of our lives, and it looks like this trend is going to continue which is not a bad thing. Not bad at all.
Having read “The Animals Among Us” you will once again be convinced how important it is to keep pets, as well as better understand all the evolutionary processes that went through the formation of our relationship with pets.
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