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| There's an animal in there, somewhere. |
I was in a conversation last night where a friend of mine was explaining to me why a cat curls up next to a human. From what he said, I deduced the following: It's not because they're cold (they have fur) or they're bored (they like to chase nothing) or they're hungry (if you're not holding food, LOL), but it's because they want companionship. Who would've guessed! A cat or other animal seemingly has no object but to eat, sleep and... well, you get the picture. So, I decided to see if my favorite website had anything to say about the issue. Sure enough!
ScienceDaily.com has an article (for the actual article, click here: Science Daily article) where they talk about how animals use emotion to make decisions. According to the article, an animal's environment shapes the way the animal "feels" (negative or positive emotions) and that those emotions are reflected in the decisions the animal makes. So, if your cow is depressed or anxious because it is always in peril of being eaten by a coyote, it will tend to make interpretations of a stimulus (such as a bush moving) as a negative event -- mainly, that a predator is lurking in that bush.
It would seem from this article that anxiety and other negative emotions can affect animals in similar ways to humans. Humans don't tend to have a high quality of life if they are constantly on guard or depressed. Maybe your Fido or Fluffy could benefit from some positive emotions from you -- and maybe a little hug wouldn't hurt either.
Hi Nichol,
ReplyDeleteI'm Kate, the Health and Entertainment Editor at Opposing Views in Los Angeles. I really enjoy reading Cal Poly Dolly -- great content. I'd like to invite you to share your work with our readers.
We're a media site that publishes content from hundreds of contributors and experts like the NRA, PETA, the DOJ and Amnesty International. Our traffic is over 750K a month and growing.
In order to build out our mental health section, we're reaching out to qualified writers on the subject. I think your site would be a strong addition.
What does that mean exactly? Essentially, you would give us permission to publish content from your RSS feed. You'd be listed as a contributor, which includes bylines, a profile and links. You get full attribution (promoting your site), and some of your content will be added to Google News, Facebook and Twitter. Your work will also be seen on associate sites run by Deep Dive Media. This way, you'll reach an even wider audience.
Thanks for taking a minute to consider joining us, and please let me know if you are interested.
Kate Wharmby Seldman
Health and Entertainment Editor
healtheditor@opposingviews.com
Opposing Views
www.opposingviews.com
Los Angeles, CA
310-488-6847
Ms. Seldman:
ReplyDeletePlease see my email I wrote to you this morning. This is exciting news! Thank you for the opportunity!
-Nichol Elise