周五(8/7)1.時間管理App挽救時間 2.強有力的 人際網絡

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時間管理App挽救時間

Forest is an app to help you reclaim your time and stay in the present.
https://www.thenational.ae/business/review-forest-app-lets-you-grow-your-time-management-skills-1.15814

One of the worst habits for destroying concentration and ruining quality time is constantly checking your smartphone – whether to play games, look at social media or stay up to date with endless group WhatsApp threads.

Forest is an app to help you reclaim that time and stay in the present. While it’s simple enough to work for children doing their homework and teenagers studying for their exams, it’s also an incredibly effective alternative to the Pomodoro Technique (a time management method) for adults too – especially if you have any kind of emotional attachment to nat­ure.

The app is free on Android or £1.99 (Dh9) on iOS; it also comes as a browser for Chrome and Firefox. Once you’ve downloaded it to your phone, you just have to open it up whenever you want to focus on real life.

Set how long you want this session to last, touch the “plant” button, and you’ll see a countdown timer start ticking, beneath a cartoon picture of a small seedling. From then on it’s simple. Simply ignore your phone to allow the seedling to grow into a tree. Each completed session will add another plant to your long-term “forest”, and you can compete with friends or colleagues by sharing your forests with each other.

If you open your phone to check the growth of your seedling, you’ll see messages like “go back to your work” and “don’t look at me.” If you exit the app to check messages or use other apps, the plant will die. As well as tracking your progress by seeing how your forest is doing, you can also check the metrics to see if your self-control is improving.

While it might seem a little childish, I was surprised how much this visual representation of success helped to motivate me to stick to my non-phone time and focus on what I was doing. While some users have said they’d prefer to be rewarded for refraining from checking their phone without having to set up a session in advance, I disagree. Deciding on a focused hour and taking a break once the session is complete really helped me regain control.

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Cut your phone dependence with an app that plants trees as a reward

Ephrat Livni

You can’t help it. You check your phone constantly, forever sneaking a peak, seeking distraction, and the more you do it, the more distracted you become. Don’t feel bad—it’s a common problem that can be solved with the help of technology.

Use your your phone to cultivate the focus it erodes by downloading an app designed to curb tech dependence and reward the environment for your presence. Published by Shaokan Pi, a Chinese app maker, Forest users grow a virtual forest by not fiddling with their phones during designated times they set, and thus earn virtual currency to purchase real trees.

How Forest works.

Forest

Check Facebook and your tree dies.

Forest is ranked among the top five productivity apps on Apple’s App Store in 85 countries, according to Sensor Tower. User reviews are generally enthusiastic, calling it “a godsend” and claiming it results in “a sharp increase in productivity.” One 3-star review, however, noted that it’s a “cool idea” but growing a virtual garden made the user anxious about the death of his fake trees when he failed to concentrate.

More commonly, Forest gets five star reviews from users. For example, someone going by the handle “umbrr” on Oct. 24 asked, “Who knew that the key to being productive was to incentivize time well spent with a garden of digital trees?” An Oct. 25 App Store review from Savannah Mary, was similarly positive, exclaiming:

    I needed Forest so badly and I never realized it until I got it. This app helps me stay present and focused better than any other app or productivity tool I’ve ever used! Truly a gift! And the social responsibly aspect—planting trees, REAL trees! Couldn’t get any better.

The Forest app.

These real trees are planted through Maryland nonprofit Trees for the Future. The organization works with farming families in five African countries—Senegal, Cameroon, Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda—on reforestation and commercial cultivation training.

John Leary, the organization’s executive director, spoke to Quartz about the collaboration with Forest and the people who are planting the trees in Africa through his program. Forest first came out in China in 2014 and proved popular. Two years later, ahead of release in the US and elsewhere, the app maker sought an international partner that could efficiently and sustainably plant many trees, showing users real-life results to inspire and motivate them.

Trees for the Future does that. Families who graduate from the four-year training program in African countries earn four times more annually than before their training in crop diversification and reforestation. Over the 15 years from when the first pilot began in Senegal, the program has proven that its growers have more and better food, all while preventing soil depletion and over-farming of common cash- crops.

強有力的 人際網絡

7 Ways to Build a Strong Network

Barry Moltz  americanexpress

It's well known that networking is the key to a successful career. You can have the skills and the education, but without connections, it will be very difficult to get a job or even build a business. A recent study by Right Management found that for the fifth year in a row, person-to-person networking is the most effective way of finding a new job. Networking had a 46 percent effectiveness rate, compared to Internet job boards (25 percent), recruiters (14 percent), the direct approach (7 percent) and newspaper listings (1 percent).

A lot of people have trouble with networking because they are introverted, feel like they are using people and come off as selfish instead of helpful. Here are seven tips that will help you, even if you're not a natural schmoozer.

1. Focus on the right people.

The secret to networking isn't to attend a networking event and pass out as many business cards as you can. It's not meeting as many people as possible in hopes something will work out. Instead, you need to concentrate on the people who you know will be able to make a difference in your career.

2. Create win/win situations.

It's very important that both you and the other party gain equally when networking. If you benefit more than the other person, he or she will feel cheated and used. When that happens, you won't be able to go back and built a long-term relationship.

3. Give before you receive.

In a networking situations, people expect you to ask them for help. If you turn that around and just offer some support, your networking partner will be grateful and want to return the favor.

4. Become a connector.

You don't always have to gain something in a networking relationship. If you can introduce people who can benefit from one another, it's just as effective. You can build a stronger rapport with multiple people and it makes you very good.

5. Remember to reconnect.

We've all had people who will contact us out of the blue after years of never touching base. When that happens, you typically don't want to go out of your way for them because they haven't put any effort into sustaining the relationship. After you choose the right people to network with, remember to stay in contact with them.

6. Use social networks.

LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter are tools that you can use to connect in a personal way to different people in your industry. On LinkedIn for example, you can get introduced to new contacts through your current connections. You can also use LinkedIn as a professional database to find people who work in your professional at various companies you're interested in.

7. Start your own networking group.

One of the best ways to meet like-minded people is to establish your own networking group. You can use Meetup.com and EventBrite.com to create a series of events under a certain topic such as marketing, finance or accounting. By being the leader of the group, you will immediately become more connected and sought-out. People will want to meet you because you're the creator.

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周六(8/1)1.閱讀的好處 2.淨灘 海洋汙染

星期六 聚會時間 晚上7:00-9:30

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閱讀的好處

Benefits of Reading: Why You Should Read Every Day  lifehack.org

1. Mental Stimulation

Studies have shown that staying mentally stimulated can slow the progress of (or possibly even prevent) Alzheimer’s and Dementia,[1] since keeping your brain active and engaged prevents it from losing power.

Just like any other muscle in the body, the brain requires exercise to keep it strong and healthy, so the phrase “use it or lose it” is particularly apt when it comes to your mind. Doing puzzles and playing games such as chess have also been found to be helpful with cognitive stimulation.[2]

2. Stress Reduction

No matter how much stress you have at work, in your personal relationships, or countless other issues faced in daily life, it all just slips away when you lose yourself in a great story. A well-written novel can transport you to other realms, while an engaging article will distract you and keep you in the present moment, letting tensions drain away and allowing you to relax.

3. Knowledge

Everything you read fills your head with new bits of information, and you never know when it might come in handy. The more knowledge you have, the better-equipped you are to tackle any challenge you’ll ever face.

Additionally, here’s a bit of food for thought: should you ever find yourself in dire circumstances, remember that although you might lose everything else—your job, your possessions, your money, even your health—knowledge can never be taken from you.

5. Memory Improvement

When you read a book, you have to remember an assortment of characters, their backgrounds, ambitions, history, and nuances, as well as the various arcs and sub-plots that weave their way through every story. That’s a fair bit to remember, but brains are marvellous things and can remember these things with relative ease.

Amazingly enough, every new memory you create forges new synapses (brain pathways)[3] and strengthens existing ones, which assists in short-term memory recall as well as stabilizing moods.[4] How cool is that?

If you want to learn more about how to increase brain power, boost memory and become 10x smarter, check out this technique!

6. Stronger Analytical Thinking Skills

Have you ever read an amazing mystery novel, and solved the mystery yourself before finishing the book? If so, you were able to put critical and analytical thinking to work by taking note of all the details provided and sorting them out to determine “whodunnit”.

That same ability to analyze details also comes in handy when it comes to critiquing the plot; determining whether it was a well-written piece, if the characters were properly developed, if the storyline ran smoothly, etc.

Should you ever have an opportunity to discuss the book with others, you’ll be able to state your opinions clearly, as you’ve taken the time to really consider all the aspects involved.

7. Improved Focus and Concentration

In our internet-crazed world, attention is drawn in a million different directions at once as we multi-task through every day.

In a single 5-minute span, the average person will divide their time between working on a task, checking email, chatting with a couple of people (via gchat, skype, etc.), keeping an eye on twitter, monitoring their smartphone, and interacting with co-workers. This type of ADD-like behaviour causes stress levels to rise, and lowers our productivity.

When you read a book, all of your attention is focused on the story—the rest of the world just falls away, and you can immerse yourself in every fine detail you’re absorbing.

10. Free Entertainment

Though many of us like to buy books so we can annotate them and dog-ear pages for future reference, they can be quite pricey.

For low-budget entertainment, you can visit your local library and bask in the glory of the countless tomes available there for free. Libraries have books on every subject imaginable, and since they rotate their stock and constantly get new books, you’ll never run out of reading materials.

If you happen to live in an area that doesn’t have a local library, or if you’re mobility-impaired and can’t get to one easily, most libraries have their books available in PDF or ePub format so you can read them on your e-reader, iPad, or your computer screen.

There are also many sources online where you can download free e-books, so go hunting for something new to read!

There’s a reading genre for every literate person on the planet, and whether your tastes lie in classical literature, poetry, fashion magazines, biographies, religious texts, young adult books, self-help guides, street lit, or romance novels, there’s something out there to capture your curiosity and imagination.

Step away from your computer for a little while, crack open a book, and replenish your soul for a little while.

 

淨灘 海洋汙染

Taiwan’s Gogoro, Re-Think beach cleaning event collects over 7,800 kgs of trash | Taiwan News

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A summer beach clean-up event organized by electric scooter maker Gogoro and environmental group Re-Think collected 7,825 kgs of trash from five different beaches around the country over a nine-day period beginning on July 18 and ending on July 26.

The clean-ups were held at five beach areas: Dingliao in New Taipei City, Guanyin in Taoyuan, Shengang in Changhua, Qixingtan in Hualien, and Zhuanxikou in Yilan. The first beach cleaning took place on July 18 at Dingliao (頂寮), where participants picked up garbage over a 43,639 square meter area, according to a Re-Think Facebook post.

The following day on July 19, volunteers made their way to Guanyin (觀音) where they covered a massive beach area of 229,227 square meters, picking up things like glass bottles, fishing nets, plastic lunch boxes, and PET bottles. On July 21, people met up at Changhua’s Shengang (伸港) and gave 15,691 square meters of beach a much-needed facelift.

The next cleaning was held out east on July 25 at Hualien’s Qixingtan (七星潭), spanning 57,266 square meters of beach, resulting in 349 kgs of garbage being cleared away. The final cleanup was organized at Yilan’s Zhuanxikou (竹安溪口) the following day and covered 44,085 square meters, where 1325.5 kgs of rubbish were cleared from the sand.

In total, 2,257 people participated in the clean-ups, which covered in total around 389,910 square meters of beach — roughly equivalent to 56 soccer fields, according to UDN.

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Ocean pollution

Each year, billions of pounds of trash and other pollutants enter the ocean. Where does this pollution come from? Where does it go? Some of the debris ends up on our beaches, washed in with the waves and tides. Some debris sinks, some is eaten by marine animals that mistake it for food, and some accumulates in ocean gyres. Other forms of pollution that impact the health of the ocean come from sources like oil spills or from accumulation of many dispersed sources, such as fertilizer from our yards.

Marine debris washed ashore on the Hawaiian island of Kaho'olawe.

Where does pollution come from?

The majority of pollutants that make their way into the ocean come from human activities along the coastlines and far inland. One of the biggest sources of pollution is nonpoint source pollution, which occurs as a result of runoff. Nonpoint source pollution can come from many sources, like septic tanks, vehicles, farms, livestock ranches, and timber harvest areas. Pollution that comes from a single source, like an oil or chemical spill, is known as point source pollution. Point source pollution events often have large impacts, but fortunately, they occur less often. Discharge from faulty or damaged factories or water treatment systems is also considered point source pollution.

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周五(7/31)1.東南亞 最快樂的國家-台灣 2.不要過早下定論

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東南亞 最快樂的國家—台灣

The World Happiness countries

(CNN) — Finland has a lot to celebrate.

Not only does it have a capital city bursting with gastronomic creativity, the spectacular Northern Lights and Santa Claus's year-round home (plus the reindeer support staff) in Lapland. It's also the happiest country in the world for the second year in a row, according to the latest World Happiness Report.

It's followed by Denmark, Norway, Iceland and The Netherlands.

The World Happiness Report was released by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network for the United Nations on March 20, the date that the United Nations has declared to be the International Day of Happiness.

The report ranks countries on six key variables that support well-being: income, freedom, trust, healthy life expectancy, social support and generosity.

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Taiwan's Pursuit of Happiness: Can We Trust the World Happiness Report?

Daphne K. Lee

Taiwan is the happiest country in East Asia, according to the 2019 World Happiness Report (WHR) produced by the United Nations. Among 156 countries, the survey panel ranked Taiwan 25th on the list, with Japan ranking 58th and China 93rd.

Finland topped the chart for the second year, while Denmark came in second. Hygge, a Danish word describing a lifestyle that celebrates coziness and comfort, became a buzzword in 2016 since Denmark had consistently been named the happiest country on earth. The Swedish lagom, which praises a moderate lifestyle, also became a trend as more people wanted to understand how Scandinavians were so happy.

But how reliable is the World Happiness Report? What purpose does it serve?

According to the report, a country’s average happiness is calculated using the following six variables provided by the Gallup World Poll: GDP per capita, social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom, generosity, and absence of corruption.

“I believe Taiwan would score high in life expectancy, social support, and generosity,” says Po-wen Chen, a Taipei resident. “But I don’t feel any growth in GDP; it’s only reflected in housing prices. Even if there’s a 3 percent growth, the benefits would go to the capital owners, not the working class.”

The survey relies on subjective self-reporting that asks participants to evaluate their answers on a scale of 0 to 10. The result is derived from data collected from 2016 to 2018, with an annual sample size of 1,000 people.

“A sample size of 2,000 to 3,000 is large enough to give a fairly good estimate at the national level,” says the report in its FAQ section.

These few thousand people in each country then rate their happiness based on various factors. The measurement of social support, for example, asks “If you were in trouble, do you have relatives or friends you can count on to help you whenever you need them, or not?”

If the WHR counted economic security as one of the major metrics of happiness, then it must have missed the memo on Taiwan’s wage crisis. The subjective question of social support might also simply be a reflection of the Taiwanese culture of having large and multigenerational families and valuing filial piety and community over one’s independence. And in terms of corruption, Taiwan’s score in the 2018 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) was far behind its peers such as Singapore and Japan.

Within the same data set from the Gallup World Poll, the measurement of “positive affect” is defined by one’s emotional happiness. It asks the participants if they have felt happiness, smiled or laughed a lot yesterday. In this section of the poll, Paraguay is ranked first, followed by Somalia and Iceland. Taiwan is ranked 17th on the same list, even higher than its final ranking.

The small sample size in the poll, however, does not necessarily reflect mental health issues in the happiest regions. In Finland, the world’s happiest country according to the WHR, suicide is responsible for one-third of all deaths among teenagers and young adults. The Happiness Research Institute’s recent report also raised concerns about mental health struggles in the Nordic region. Similarly, suicide rates have been steadily rising in Taiwan in spite of its favorable happiness ranking.

The differing results then raise the question of whether happiness should be defined by the emotional state of an individual, or by a country’s overall well-being and prosperity.

“People around me are generally quite content even though they do have small day-to-day complaints,” says Sylvia Liu, a Tainan homestay owner. “Taiwanese do seem happier than other East Asians, but less so when compared to Europeans. Our society values group identity, which makes self-actualization more difficult.”

Should anyone even attempt to rank happiness? To do so, one has to first define and standardize happiness, a human emotion. The problematic ranking on world happiness divides such an emotion into six factors. When the report triggers worldwide coverage each year, it is no longer a survey but a global reference – one that neglects reality and alienates individuals.

The ranking of happiness takes the public focus away from the WHR’s more in-depth discussions. Beyond a survey of global happiness, the WHR does a better job at examining issues of particular importance in the United States, such as voting behavior, digital media influence and, addiction. The 2019 report’s discussion on the relationship between big data and well-being is far more intriguing than whether Finland or Denmark is the happiest country: Does a lack of privacy improve a society’s operation? Will big data better predict our well-being?

不要過早下定論

The Benefits of Not Jumping to Conclusions

By Hilary Jacobs Hendel   psychcentral

Human brains simplify information under stress. Largely out of awareness, we have a tendency to categorize experiences into extremes of good and bad, black and white, right or wrong. Most of life, however, happens in the gray areas. We lose the subtleties that are always there if we are too quick to know.

When I take something personally or feel stung by something someone said or did, I try to remind myself to get curious about other meanings, other ways of understanding the moment. For example, if someone is rude to me at a store, I could easily get angry and think to myself, “What a jerk!” But that thought process also gets me more riled up. That way of thinking fuels my anger, which makes me feel more agitated. My goal is to keep calm.

So, as an alternative, I could think, “Perhaps this person is acting this way because she is suffering. Maybe something I am not aware of is happening in her life that is making her act rude.” Maybe she just lost someone she loves. Maybe she had a terrible fight with her partner that morning. Or maybe she just received a scary medical diagnosis from a doctor. Knowing those reasons are all possible helps me access compassion both for the person acting rude and myself for getting “dumped on.”

It takes some focus to resist the temptation to “know.” Instead of giving in to your brain’s natural inclination to be sure about what’s happening, look for nuance and the unknown. This approach is a particularly useful parenting strategy. Let’s say my child or stepchild, Marcia, comes home and allows the front door to slam. My thinking brain might be quick to generalize that the reason she slammed the door was out of hostility toward me.

But there may be other reasons that have nothing to do with me. I have the power to resist this natural temptation of the brain to come to quick judgments. Instead, I can call upon my aware self to become curious. I could think to myself, “I wonder why Marcia slammed the door?” Then I might sift through the various reasons one could slam a door: by mistake from slippery fingers or forgetting to hold it; or because she is angry at herself or someone else; or because she wants attention and to let someone know she is home, albeit in a childish way. Maybe you can come up with some other reasons as well.

I can’t know my child’s intent for sure until I ask her (and that is assuming she knows her own motivations and will disclose them to me.) The important point here is not to jump too quickly to conclusions or be too quick to respond harshly.

Ultimately, I might decide to ask her why she slammed the door or simply make a request that she not to do that because it hurts my ears. But I would also take the slam as a cue to actively notice and tune in to her emotional state. I slow myself down to notice her facial expression, body posture and the like. This may give me most of the information I need to make a preliminary assumption and then tailor my question or request accordingly.

If I can see that she is in a sullen mood, I can ask her how her day was out of concern and take it from there. Later on, when she is in a better mood, I can address the door slam and avoid a fight that might have ensued if I had confronted her the moment she walked in.

People often make snap judgments and reactions. In a moment of tension or conflict, it is important to remember that our brains are generalizing and drawing assumptions based on our prior experiences and histories. We have the choice, however, to remain open to new information, to increases our understanding of what is happening between two people in the present moment, and to curtail assumptions.

Since everyone is different, if we generalize based on our quick assumptions, which come from our unique histories, we lose valuable information available in the present. We need to try to see and understand a current moment through the minds of others, and not only as a reflection of our own unique lens and our own unique history. We can do that by keeping an open mind first and foremost. After that, there is communication. When someone in our midst acts in a way we don’t like, there is nothing better than communicating our curiosity and desire to understand their true intent.

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周六(7/25)1.七種 寂寞型態 2.有寵物的人 較長壽?

星期六 聚會時間 晚上7:00-9:30

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七種 寂寞型態

7 Types of Loneliness, and Why It Matters                 psychologytoday

One major challenge within happiness is loneliness. The more I’ve learned about happiness, the more I’ve come to believe that loneliness is a common and important obstacle to consider.

To be happy, we need intimate bonds; we need to be able to confide, we need to feel like we belong, we need to be able to get and give support. In fact, strong relationships are key — perhaps the key — to a happy life.

Of course, being alone and being lonely aren’t the same. Loneliness feels draining, distracting, and upsetting; desired solitude feels peaceful, creative, restorative.

It seems to me that there are several types of loneliness. Of course, not everyone experiences loneliness in the situations described — for instance, not everyone wants a romantic partner. But for some people, the lack of certain kinds of relationships brings loneliness.

Once we’ve pinpointed the particular kind of loneliness we’re experiencing, it may be easier to spot ways to address it.

Here are some types I’ve identified. What have I overlooked?

7 Types of Loneliness

1. New-situation loneliness. You’ve moved to a new city where you don’t know anyone, or you’ve started a new job, or you’ve started at a school full of unfamiliar faces. You’re lonely.

2. I’m-different loneliness. You’re in a place that’s not unfamiliar, but you feel different from other people in an important way that makes you feel isolated. Maybe your faith is really important to you, and the people around you don’t share that — or vice versa. Maybe everyone loves doing outdoor activities, but you don’t — or vice versa. It feels hard to connect with others about the things you find important. Or maybe you’re just hit with the loneliness that hits all of us sometimes — the loneliness that’s part of the human condition.

3. No-sweetheart loneliness. Even if you have lots of family and friends, you feel lonely because you don’t have the intimate attachment of a romantic partner. Or maybe you have a partner, but you don’t feel a deep connection to that person.

4. No-animal loneliness. Many people have a deep need to connect with animals. If this describes you, you’re sustained by these relationships in a way that human relationships don’t replace. While I love my dog Barnaby, I don’t feel this myself — but many people feel like something important is missing if they don’t have a dog or cat (or less conveniently, a horse) in their lives.

5. No-time-for-me loneliness. Sometimes you’re surrounded by people who seem friendly enough, but they don’t want to make the jump from friendly to friends. Maybe they’re too busy with their own lives, or they have lots of friends already, so while you’d like a deeper connection, they don’t seem interested. Or maybe your existing friends have entered a new phase that means they no longer have time for the things you all used to do — everyone has started working very long hours, or has started a family, so that your social scene has changed.

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6. Untrustworthy-friends loneliness. Sometimes, you get in a situation where you begin to doubt whether your friends are truly well-intentioned, kind, and helpful. You’re “friends” with people but don’t quite trust them. An important element of friendship is the ability to confide and trust, so if that’s missing, you may feel lonely, even if you have fun with your friends.

7. Quiet-presence loneliness. Sometimes, you may feel lonely because you miss having someone else’s quiet presence. You may have an active social circle at work, or have plenty of friends and family, but you miss having someone to hang out with at home — whether that would mean living with a roommate, a family member, or a sweetheart. Just someone who’s fixing a cup of coffee in the next room, or reading on the sofa.

It’s important to realize why we feel lonely, because only then can we see how we might address it. If you’re no-time-for-me lonely, for instance, maybe a solution would be to work with people on a project, where you’d be doing an endeavor together, on something you’ve all made time for. My mother once noted — and I think it’s very true — it’s easier to make friends when you’re working on a project together.

Loneliness is a major factor in unhappiness, so it’s an important area to tackle if you’re working on making yourself happier.

One of the keys — maybe the key — to happiness is strong connections to other people. The lack of these bonds, even temporarily, is a major happiness stumbling block. Have you found any good ways to understand and deal with loneliness?

  

有寵物的人 較長壽?

Can Having a Pet Help You Live Longer?     verywellhealth

Pets offer love, companionship and even exercise if you’ve got a dog that needs to get outdoors every day. They're family, no doubt about it, but can they actually help extend your life?

The verdict on whether pets can help you live longer is a bit astonishing, even to the researchers who discovered it. University of California, Riverside health researchers Howard Friedman and Leslie Martin analyzed data collected from an 80-year study of 1,500 people. The study, initiated in 1921 by psychologist Lewis Terman, is one of the only long-term studies that follow people from their childhood onward.

About the Findings

Subjects in their 60s were asked detailed questions about how often they played with pets. After fourteen years researchers analyzed mortality data. Results suggest that interacting with pets played no role in the participants’ likelihood of surviving. The results were the same even when Friedman and Martin examined only people who were socially isolated, for whom a close relationship with an animal might be more important.

However, a more recent meta-analysis, published in the journal Circulation in 2019, came to a different conclusion. Looking at data from studies between 1950 and May 2019, they found that dog owners live longer than those without a dog. The benefit was greatest for those who had a history of heart attack and there was a 65% reduced risk of mortality.

The Value of Relationships

Friedman and Martin concluded that being connected to other people in their community did, in fact, enhance the subjects' longevity. These findings seem to conflict with other data about the value of social relationships for people as they age. For example, research published in 1980 found that the one-year survival rate for people discharged from a coronary care unit was greater for those with a pet.

Ground-breaking research in the late 1970s by psychologists Ellen Langer and Judith Rodin found that just having to care for a houseplant kept elderly nursing home residents happier and alive longer. Though that finding was cited as a reason to give residents more control over their environment, it follows that a sense of responsibility and emotional interaction — the same emotions involved for pet owners — might account for the improved longevity.

The Benefits of Animal Companionship

Certainly interacting with animals has been found to improve quality of life. Animal-assisted therapy programs that use pets as mascots or therapy animals are widely implemented in hospitals and nursing homes and have been shown to improve depression and loneliness in the elderly.

In Japan, where concerns about allergic reactions and bites have kept nursing homes from employing live pets, robotic therapy animals have been substituted with much success. In particular, Paro, a robotic seal with artificial fur and a lovable face, has been used in several countries, including Japan, Denmark, Sweden, Italy and the United States. A 2011 paper published in Gerontology describes the improvement in depression scores of residents in nursing homes employing the robotic seal.​

People rely on dogs for company, friendship, and affection. Recent data suggests that they may also extend your life. And it is not only dogs. A study published in the Journal of Vascular and Interventional Neurology in 2009 looking at over 4000 people over 20 years found that people who own cats have a decreased risk for death due to heart attack or stroke.

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