You’re a sucker for animals, you can’t help it. Every time you see a cute pet hovering around your legs, you unabashedly reach out and snuggle it in your arms. Can you blame yourself? It’s just too cute to ignore!
And when furry pets simply aren’t enough, you get your daily fix by heading to the zoo. Oh, how you love to gaze at the mighty elephant and the elegant giraffe. Well, if this is you, then good news. It turns out that there is a reason as to why you are so into pets, while your friends might be indifferent about them.
According to science, this phenomenon spans back tens of thousands of years at an age when animals played a crucial survival role in our evolution.
Yes, that’s right:
It turns out that you’re genetically predisposed to love animals.
Ok, But How?…
For years, scientists have affirmed that keeping pets is actually beneficial to our health. Not only does it reduce the chances of heart disease, but further reduces stress and minimizes the chances of developing dementia.
One thing that most researchers have noted is that the habit of keeping a pet usually runs in the family. In a bid to imitate the lifestyle their parents lived, most children will adopt a pet once they reach adulthood.
This habit will then be passed onto grand-children, and before you know it, an entire generation will have different pets in their household! But science takes it a notch deeper.
When analyzing the DNA of different domesticated species, it’s been revealed that most of these species separated from their wild ancestors roughly between 5000 to 15000 years ago.
Some of these domesticated animals (like the dog or the cat) were treated like pets and in turn, a number of humans gradually developed a gene for pet-keeping.
Pretty interesting, right?
So the next time you find yourself ogling over a puppy, or dazzled by a sparrow’s delightful morning whistle, don’t feel embarrassed. Just because your friends don’t have a liking to nature and animals doesn’t mean you should do the same.
Animals are beautiful, and they should be cherished in every way. Whether it’s your fluffy dog that greets you at the door every evening; or your pompous cat who only looks your way when hungry (wearing that glaring face that says, ‘give me food human.’), let’s not forget to foster an unbreakable bond with them!
