Three Positive Effects of Emotional Support Animals

There’s something comforting about looking into the face and eyes of your beloved Labrador Retriever, or pleasing and calming when your cat glides up and rubs herself on your leg as a token of appreciation and a sign of affection. It’s this connection with loving animals that has helped so many people with both physical and emotional disabilities.

Service and Emotional Support Animals

Service and emotional support animals help people with a range of physical and emotional disabilities take on the tasks of everyday living. You see them in public wearing their service dog collars and vests. While service animals help people with “outward” physical disabilities, emotional support animals help people with “inward” disabilities that are not so obvious such as depression, social anxiety, post-traumatic stress, and other mental health disorders. These animals serve as a distraction to internal emotional turmoil. And in general, emotional support animals help people with mental health issues better handle the stresses of being in public and navigating life.

Three Positive Effects

Here are several of the positive effects of service and emotional support animals.

Responsibility for Another – Having responsibility for the care of an emotional support animal provides the opportunity to give of one’s self. Whether it is taking an emotional support dog to the pet store, or to play ball at the park, the dog will reciprocate these kind acts. This elevates a person’s self-esteem and sense of purpose.

Reduced Anxiety – Studies have shown that people with emotional and/or mental health issues experience reduced anxiety and stress when around emotional support animals. This is measured through decreased heart rate and galvanic skin response. Emotional support animals have also been linked to a reduction in frequency of panic attacks.

Decreased Loneliness – For those with emotional and/or mental health issues who live alone, it is highly recommended that they live with an emotional support animal. Just sensing the presence of an animal who naturally exercises unconditional love for its owner is soothing. Having an emotional support animal also lessens the sense of isolation. Because service and emotional support animals, especially dogs, need care and to be outside, this forces the person outside into the sunlight or around other people which can be a positive experience. And although emotional support animals don’t talk back, they like to be talked to and respond accordingly.

So, the next time you see some with a service or emotional support animal in public wearing their service dog collars and vests you’ll know of the important work these special animals do for their owners.