Stressed Out? Get a Dog. Or Cat.

Dec. 31, 2008— -- Some people are very organized when it comes to messing up their lives, an old friend told me years ago. The first thing they do is make a list of the 10 best ways to ruin everything. At the top of every list, he added, is this:

Get a dog.

He was wrong, of course. If he had taken the time to peruse the scientific literature he would have found all sorts of studies showing that a dog, and maybe even a cat, really can be man's (and woman's) best friend. Studies show that pets can lower our blood pressure, reduce our waistlines, help us deal with stress and maybe even improve our relationships with our significant others.

One study in 1999 came up with a finding that is particularly comforting today. A faithful pet is better than medication at keeping blood pressure under control among stockbrokers.

So, if there's one thing President-elect Barack Obama needs in the years ahead, it's a really good dog.

In the past, most research was aimed at the elderly or the infirm. A pet can make life more pleasurable for someone who is too old, or too weak, to hit the dance floor. But new research out of Ohio State University reveals that a pet, be it a cat or a dog, can be a great help to college students who are dealing with the stress of transitioning from home to dorm.

Sara Staats, professor emeritus of psychology at Ohio State's Newark campus, surveyed nearly 350 college students and found that almost a fifth of the students turned to a pet for comfort and stress relief . Nearly a quarter of the students said their pets helped keep them active, although dogs were a little better at that than cats.

The study, published recently in the journal Society and Animals, showed that "avoiding loneliness" was the top reason given by the students for owning a pet.

"The pets are not a substitute for human social interaction and support, but they do provide important interaction for these kids who might otherwise feel isolated from their current environment," Staats said in releasing the study.