05 Nov Is happiness a stuffed animal?
referencing an article by Christopher Peterson for Psychology Today
I learned something interesting the other day in my positive psychology class. I was talking about oxytocin – AKA the cuddle hormone – and its social benefits. Oxytocin is stimulated by human touch, and I believe research has shown a similar effect from contact with pets. I suppose that’s why we call them pets – because we can and do pet them. I went off on a tangent about why turtles and goldfish are not pets in the literal sense. My students chuckled a bit, and then one of them asked a great question. “What about teddy bears?”
Happiness and positive psychology and pets…who would have thought? If you want to read more of Chris Peterson’s article hinting at a relationship between happiness and pets…JUST CLICK HERE