100 Simple Secrets Why Dogs Make Us Happy: The Science Behind What Dog Lovers Already Know

225 Pages·2007·2.3 MB·English

by  David Niven

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SIMPLE SECRETS
W H Y D O G S
MAKE US5 HAPPY
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THE SCIENCE BEHIND
WHAT DOG LOVERS
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ALREADY KNOW
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DAVID NIVEN, Ph.D.
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To Jack, Ralph, Bear, Snoopy, and Snow
Contents
A Note to Readers ix
Introduction xi
1 Dogs Have Personality 1
2 Dogs Provide Visible Love 3
3 We Feel Better in Minutes 5
4 Dogs Are Nonjudgmental 7
5 Dogs Make Us Look Positive 9
6 Dogs Take Us Walking 11
7 Life Is More Enjoyable 13
8 Dogs Help Us Show Affection 15
9 We See Dogs as We See Other Humans 17
10 Dogs Understand Math 19
11 We Truly Live Together 21
12 Dogs Learn Words 23
13 It’s Hard to Be Fussy 25
14 A Bond on Many Levels 27
15 Dogs Feed Our Creativity 29
16 Dogs Are Not Sore Losers 31
17 Dogs Star in Our Stories 33
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18 Having a Dog Is Like Parenting Without the Diapers 35
19 We Connect Through Our Eyes 37
20 Our Homes Feel More Like a Home 39
21 We Look on the Bright Side 41
22 We Understand Their Language 43
23 We’re Less Likely to Be Ignored 45
24 Dogs Keep Us Calmer 47
25 Dogs Teach Us Valuable Lessons 49
26 Do You Have a Dog Lover’s Personality? Yes 51
27 Dogs Make Us Feel Vital 53
28 A Much Needed Source of Consistency 55
29 We Think They’re Human 57
30 Dogs Pay Attention to Us 59
31 Dogs Transcend Our Categories 61
32 Dogs Really Are Happy to See Us 63
33 Dogs Teach Teamwork 65
34 Dogs Affect Us More Than Cats Do 67
35 We Believe in Ourselves More 69
36 Dogs Ask, “Are You Talking to Me?” 71
37 We Enjoy Other People More 73
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38 Dogs Can Do Geometry 75
39 When Times Are Tough, Dogs Are There 77
40 Dogs Fit All Ages 79
41 Dogs Know Our Mood 81
42 In Dogs We See What We Want to Be 83
43 Dogs Help Keep Us Out of a Rut 85
44 One Dog, Many Happy People 87
45 Dogs Can Tell Us Things 89
46 Dogs Can Reach Those No One Else Can 91
47 Dogs Can Teach Us to Be Less Aggressive 93
48 Our Relationship with Our Dog Is Unique 95
49 Dogs Lower Our Blood Pressure 97
50 Dogs Help Us See Past the Surface 98
51 Dogs and People Were Born for Each Other 100
52 Curiosity Didn’t Kill the Dog 102
53 Families with Dogs Are Closer 104
54 Dogs Help Us Maintain Mobility 106
55 Dogs Help Explain Our Dreams 108
56 Dogs Help Us Communicate with People 110
57 There’s Less to Worry About 112
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58 We’re More Open 114
59 Dogs Help Us Resolve Disagreements 116
60 We See Good Behavior as the Nature of Dogs 118
61 Dogs Are Part of the Family 120
62 We Have the Same Effect on Each Other 122
63 We’ve Been at This for a Long Time 124
64 Walking the Dog Is Better Than Walking the Self 126
65 Dogs Follow Our Cue 128
66 How We Treat Dogs Is More Important Than
What Breed They Are 130
67 We Don’t Feel Alone 132
68 Dogs Provide Teaching Moments 134
69 It Turns Out That We Actually Can Teach
an Old Dog New Tricks 136
70 Our Love for Dogs Never Runs Out 138
71 We Need the Doctor Less 140
72 Dogs Teach Us to Accept Differences 142
73 We’re More Likely to Follow a Health Plan 144
74 Dogs Encourage Cohesion 146
75 Barking Is Not Random 148
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76 Dogs Keep Us to a Schedule 149
77 We’re Nicer 151
78 Dogs Anticipate What We Do 153
79 There’s More Time for Play 155
80 Dogs Help Us Trust 157
81 We Can Provide Comfort 158
82 Dogs Use Their Eyes to Lead Us 160
83 We Don’t Have to Be in Charge All the Time 162
84 Dogs Help Us Recover 164
85 People Are More Likely to Open Up to Us 166
86 Dogs Take On Our Personality 168
87 Dogs Fit into Our Lives from Birth 170
88 Dogs Promote Independence 172
89 Dogs Make Our Immune Systems Stronger 174
90 Dogs Keep Our Secrets 176
91 Dogs Make Us More Human 178
92 Even Bad Things Are Better 180
93 We See Ourselves as More Lovable 182
94 Dogs Contribute to Our Identity 184
95 No Animal Better Understands Us 186
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96 We Appear Friendlier 188
97 Dogs Help Us See Alternatives 190
98 Man’s Best Friend Is Not About to Change 192
99 We Live Longer 194
100 You Are Needed 195
Sources 197
Acknowledgments 205
About the Author
Other Series of 100 Simple Secrets
Cover
Copyright
About the Publisher
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