People have been sharing pictures of their pets being tickled and honestly, it is exactly what our lockdown needed.
There’s a lot of very serious things happening in the world right now, what with the pandemic and all, so it’s unfortunately even easier than ever these days to lose ourselves in doom and gloom.
Dr Sandro Galea from Boston University previously spoke to us on the subject of the impact coronavirus and the resulting lockdown may have on our mental health, saying: ‘While these steps may be critical to mitigate the spread of this disease, they will undoubtedly have consequences for mental health and wellbeing in both the short and long term.’
Therefore it’s especially important to take some time for happy and silly things when and where you can, which is where these ticklish pets come in.
From dogs and cats to turtles to lambs, animal-owners have been sharing photos of their pets being tickled – and honestly it’s almost too pure for us to take.
So whether you have a pet to share your lockdown with or you need a bit of vicarious joy, give your brain a bath with these exceedingly cute pictures.
A study last year found that stroking a cat or a dog for just 10 minutes can lower stress.
Researchers from Washington State University found that there were sizable reductions in the stress hormone cortisol after a mere 10 minutes of petting,
Patricia Pendry, an associate professor in the Department of Human Development at WSU said: ‘Students in our study that interacted with cats and dogs had a significant reduction in cortisol, a major stress hormone. ‘
‘Just 10 minutes can have a significant impact.’
So if you’ve got a pet of your own, why not get involved and get tickling?
Dr Vishal Shah, GP and Medical Director at Thriva, previously told us: ‘Repeatedly hearing about the pandemic can cause feelings of anxiety and fear, so avoid checking the news constantly and stick to reliable news outlets.’
So do yourself a favour and keep scrolling.
MORE: Adorable dog from Leeds has his tongue permanently stuck out
MORE: This company is printing your cat or dog’s face on joggers and PJs
Follow Metro across our social channels, on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Share your views in the comments below.
source https://metro.co.uk/2020/05/07/let-adorable-ticklish-pets-soothe-lockdown-woes-12667784/
0 Comments