Does anybody have any studies that look at male loneliness and pets? I know from personal experience that a pet can be the difference between falling into a depressive spiral and not.

I don’t know what I would do without my cats, they are wonderful companions, very sweet and they seem to sense when I’m feeling down and come to cuddle with me or ask me to play.

Have any other folks here had similar experiences they’d like to share?

  • Scratch@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    1·
    1 year ago

    My job had been very cruel to me and it put me in a steep depression. My partner, and I love her so much for this, was cool with me taking some time off to get my head straight. A few months in and I’m sort of drifting and lost. So she buys me a Morkie dog, so now I have something to FORCE a routine onto me and it was great. That was about 6 years ago and little Doug is about 10 years old now and while he’s a total assbutt, he is irreplaceable.

  • Dr. Wesker@lemmy.sdf.orgEnglish
    1·
    1 year ago

    For those of us that won’t ever have kids, pets can allow us to exercise and nurture our instincts to take care of a dependent, living creature. I feel like that’s pretty psychically and emotionally important, especially in a new world where more people are choosing not to raise children.