If you ever gave yourself talking to your cat or telling your dog that it is an exemplary animal, it is far from being alone. Psychologists say that treating animals as if they were humans can help us to be better people.
Far from being an eccentricity, the impulse of communicating with our animals, a form of anthropomorphismreveals a set of valuable emotional skills.
Several studies show that anthropomorphism is associated with stronger social ties, richer imagination and even measurable biochemical changes, such as lower cortisol levelsstress hormone, and higher levels of oxytocinaffective hormone.
According to, people who speak with their pets usually have more empathy and ability to see other perspectives. Imagine a world where our animal speaks, forces us to take into account the other’s place.
One published last year in the magazine Frontiers in Psychology It showed that the attachment to pets stimulates a positive relationship of empathy towards animals and humans.
The same neuronal circuit That leads him to ask if his dog is boring, he is also activated when he tries to realize how a colleague feels, the study authors say.
Speaking aloud with our animal also helps us in emotional regulation in stress situations. According to Johns Hopkins University, the simple gesture of stroke can also reduce cortisol levels and increase oxytocin.
Who has a habit of venting with their animals involuntarily practices a cycle neurological relaxationwhich translates into faster recoveries of labor conflicts and Less nights of insomnia.
Anthropomorphic requires flexibilitywhat strengthens our creative and imaginative thinking, in practice, is as if they were Write small fiction scenes.
In addition, people who keep this mental space open tend to perform better in divergent thinking tasks, to find New Solutions more easily at work, and to present what theorists call a “safe base script”: they assume that your partner is Available, is responsive and deserves to be careful.
It should be noted that the emotional strength here is not only kindness, but also the consistency: The daily ritual of greeting the cat upon arriving home trains the nervous system to be less subject to vicious and negative cycles.
If we pay attention, it will be possible to notice that the words we chose to talk to animals are kind, tolerant and even playful – Exactly the tone that many have difficulty in applying to ourselves.
One of 2023 about self-compassion suggests that imitating the way we talk to our animals can also Softest self -criticism and increase personal acceptance.
In addition, it also helps the owner to have a greater resilience against solitudeHowever, having a pet is not a magical cure for chronic loneliness.
It is not simply the possession of the dog that mattersbut the social behaviors that this possession triggers, and The way we act – To greet other owners and share funny stories about your pet.
