What pets can teach us about happiness
Are you happy? Is your pet happy? And just what is happiness?
The Oxford English Dictionary defines happiness as “The state of being happy” and Collins English Dictionary defines being happy as “Someone who has feelings of pleasure, usually because something nice has happened or they feel satisfied with their life”.
With quotes like “Don’t Worry, Be Happy!” and “The purpose of our life is to be happy” (Dalai Lama) and common phrases such as “Happy Birthday”, “Happy Hour “and “Happy Ever After”, is it any wonder that we strive for this elusive condition but perhaps fail to find it.
We know, from research, what happiness does not equal, although lots of us are still striving for these things. Happiness does not equal:
- Money (although some is necessary for survival)
- Winning the lottery (only gives short-term happiness)
- Material possessions (experiences bring bigger emotional memories)
- You may only control about 50% of your happiness. Genes and environment create the rest.
Take a look at our pets and you know that money does not buy them happiness. Like every human toddler whose been given the most expensive Christmas present that their parents can afford, our cats prefer to play with the box! Dogs don’t care about their Gucci collar; humans do.
So, what can pets teach us about happiness?
- Live in the moment
Live in the moment, when you are able to, and enjoy yourself. Experience POSITIVE emotions.
There is no one better than our pets at living in the moment. They do not lament the past or wonder what is going to happen tomorrow or next year. They live for the day, the hour, the minute! And they do so on many occasions with extremely positive emotions. They give in to happiness and let it show all over their faces (well at least dogs do!), their body language and their behaviour.
Just think of that moment where you return home and your dog greets you, like they have not seen you for 3 weeks! This is living in the moment. Perhaps we don’t need to jump for joy, but we can at least acknowledge that we are feeling happy, excited or simply grateful when we see our best friends or our dog or cat. And cats do love us!
Mindfulness has seen a surge in uptake over recent years, as had meditation. These occupations calm us and teach us to be a little more introspective than many of our other, social dominated pursuits.
While Pets may not be practicing meditation or mindfulness as we know it, they are involved in their own version, as they sit quietly by our side. While you think they may be snoozing, one eye or ear is always open for your next activity.
Be in the moment like your pet, as this is one proven way of reaching the elusive goal of happiness.
2. Engage in enjoyable pursuits
Having a sense of ENGAGEMENT, in which we may lose track of time and become completely absorbed in something we enjoy and are passionate about is also a sign of happy people, according to Martin Seligman of Positive Psychology.
Just watch your cat hunting toys or fixating on your TV screen watching birds. This is passionate engagement. Or your dog who just loves chasing a ball. They unashamedly enjoy their engaging pursuits. We need to find some for ourselves.
3. Be social
Like our pets, humans are social creatures. We need to have connections with others. This does not mean that you need to be best friends with your boss or every neighbor. Deep, meaningful RELATIONSHIPS are what count and are vital to our well-being.
Our dogs are expert at forming friendships. They don’t waste any time on those dogs who do not appeal to them, for whatever reason. Dogs tend to instinctively choose friends who match their size, personality and energy levels. While many people think of cats as loners, they are actually quite social and enjoy the company of other cats in the family or their humans.
Other qualities in happy people include:
- Dedicating themselves to a cause. We experience a sense of MEANING and purpose when we help something that is bigger than just us. Of course, our pets are not doing this naturally, but dogs certainly help humans for the greater good when we train them to detect bombs or guide a vision-impaired person along a street.
- Set goals and ACHIEVE them. Goals are measurable, time-sensitive aims and are often difficult for many humans to set but when we do achieve them, we feel happier. I imagine that cats and dogs have small but regular goals. Cats, for instance, generally have the goal of getting fed every two hours! Look at what motivates your dog – these are their goals!
The qualities of happy people are known as PERMA (Positive Psychology, Martin Seligman PERMA )
P – Positive emotions
E – Engagement
R –Relationships
M – Meaning
A – Achieve of our goals.
The Physiology of Happiness
When we feel happy, our body responds physiologically. Neurotransmitters, tiny messenger cells, transmit signals between Neurons and other calls in our bodies. These results in our ‘feelings’. Our body produces many neurochemicals.
Dopamine is one of these. This chemical is responsible for reward-driven behaviour. When we are on the road to happiness, we get a surge of dopamine.
Oxytocin is another chemical produced in our bodies. This hormone is linked to human bonding and increases trust and loyalty for those we experience it in connection with. Including our pets!
Endorphin (the pain-relieving molecule) and serotonin (the confidence molecule) are other chemicals released by our bodies and contribute to our happiness.
When all of these chemicals are in balance, we may feel happy. When we have an imbalance, we may feel not-so-happy. Perhaps all that we do, or don’t do, these days (sitting on our sofas/ on social media/ not going for walks) contributes to our anxious or depressed moods.
Since being with our pets, stroking them and spending time with them helps release these happiness molecules, perhaps this is something that we should do as often as possible. Our blood pressure is also reduced and our stress levels lowered, which can only contribute towards a state of happiness.
Showing Gratitude
One further way to increase or happiness quotient, or at least help us remain calm, is to show gratitude for what we have in life. Spend a minute or two each day expressing (internally or externally) thanks for the little and large aspects of your life – your family, your friends, your health, your pets.
While this might seem a little strange for some people, it has been shown to increase our levels of happiness. While you are expressing your gratitude, make sure that you are doing so to your pets too. After all, they are helping you be healthy, stay fit, have company and being non-judgemental over everything you do.
Enjoy your pets and be happy!
References
5 Reliable findings from happiness research
What is happiness explained
The neurochemicals of happiness