If someone suggested there was one simple thing you could do that would lower your blood pressure, reduce your anxiety levels, boost your immunity and make you more attractive, wouldn’t you be interested?

There have been many studies extolling the health benefits of having a pet. One recent study in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology showed that children growing up in an environment with pets or farm animals had a lower risk of asthma and allergies, and a dog in the home reduced pet allergy risk by 20-30% and lowered their risk of eczema (skin rashes).

Alzheimer patients will apparently have fewer anxious periods if they have a pet, and owners with strong attachments to their pets are much less likely to suffer from depression according to another research study. Having a pet will boost your serotonin levels – a chemical produced in brain tissue that regulates mood, appetite and sleep. It is thought to be a major contributor to feelings of happiness and well-being.

Loving an animal makes you more attractive
Pet owners can have a lower risk of heart disease, and heart attack patients are statistically more likely to live longer if they have a pet. Some health insurance companies in America even positively take into account pet ownership when evaluating potential customers. All of these benefits are before you take into account the boost to your health of daily exercise that a dog owner has to engage in, and this is where the claim of increased attractiveness comes in.

Several recent studies produced similar results showing that dog owners were perceived as being easier to talk to and that loving an animal makes you more attractive to prospective partners. Not only that but dog owners themselves will admit that walking a dog is for the most part a sociable experience. You will meet lots of other dog walkers whom you invariably strike up a conversation with and, even if you are a relatively shy dog owner, there is a good chance your dog won’t be. If there is a bottom to sniff your four-legged companion will not be holding back! A staggering 30% of dog owners surveyed said they had made lifelong friends whist walking their pooch.

So, having read all the research the only question I have left is not whether having a pet makes me healthier and more sociable, but does having four pets increase these benefits fourfold?