A new report shows that strong emotional bonds with pets bring important mental and physical benefits
To celebrate the quiet moments of connection between pet parents and their four-legged family members, Lily’s Kitchen, the B Corp pet food brand, has commissioned a series of portraits capturing these cherished moments of togetherness, entitled ‘Welcome to LapLand’.
Members of the public and well-known faces including dancing stars Tasha Ghouri and Pete Wicks, TV personalities Vicky Pattison and Kai Fagan, plus boy band hero Harry Judd, and podcaster Em Clarkson have shared glimpses into the cherished relationships they share with their cats and dogs. Revealing the emotional bond between pets and pet parents, the images show private, candid expressions of love as they relax in their living rooms in the run up to the festive season.
Exploring the science behind the emotional and physical benefits of these bonds, so beautifully brought to life in the portraits, the new report reveals the role of touch in human-pet relationships and its positive connection to wellbeing. Bringing together findings from 40 academic studies and new data from a poll of 2,000 pet owners2, the ‘LapLand’ study was created by Lily’s Kitchen in partnership with Dr Manos Tsakiris, Professor of Psychology at Royal Holloway University London.
Amongst the findings, the report reveals:
‘Affective touch’ – gentle, slow, and caressing strokes, in particular – promotes emotional closeness and the release of oxytocin – the bonding hormone.
Between human and pet this type of touch promotes feelings of safety, warmth and trust.
Physical tactile contact with a loved one helps the regulation of our stress responses and increases oxytocin levels while reducing cortisol levels, whereas lack of touch can lead to heightened levels of stress.
Stroking and patting dogs supports good immune system functioning, leads to lower blood pressure and heart rate, and reduced anxiety.
Pet parents consider themselves more emotionally attached to their pet than any other significant human relationship they share, including with their partner (57% vs 52%). 34% even feel more attached to their pet than their young children.
Three in five (60%) also state they’d be more upset going a month without seeing their pet, than they would their human loved ones.
And, as the festive season approaches, it seems more of us are enjoying these benefits, with two in five (42%) pet parents agreeing they tend to spend even more time cuddling their pet at this time of the year, so much so that they look forward to cosy evenings with their pet on the sofa more than they do seeing extended family (36% vs 28%).
Charlotte Henderson, Marketing Manager at Lily’s Kitchen says, “We’ve always believed that pets are part of the family, and our new report demonstrates just how powerful these bonds are. In the run up to the festive season, our ‘Welcome to Lapland’ campaign celebrates the special moments that pet parents are lucky enough to experience with their four-legged family members. We hope that everyone enjoys spending time with loved ones this Christmas – two-legged and four!”
