It can be stressful for students to maintain a healthy schedule. High school students can find it hard to keep up with chores, extracurriculars and school work. It can be mentally draining and impact their mental health in a harmful way if not taken care of properly.

A possible solution is owning a pet. This can provide benefits for people overall, such as introducing the idea of responsibility to children, but can it improve a teenager’s well being?

Below are some benefits of owning a pet for anyone, and how these benefits can apply to the mental health of high school students.

1. Better mood

Students can find it hard to be happy with heavy school work loads. People who own a pet, however, can increase their mood just by looking at their companions, said Cleveland State University student Claudia Litherland, who is studying to become an animal social worker.

“Looking at your pet increases serotonin, dopamine and oxytocin,” Litherland said.

Pets can be very beneficial for the brain when a person’s stressed out. They can improve a person’s well being just through presence alone.

“Neurotransmitters can be released [when around a pet] and increase one’s mood,”AP Psychology and Facing History teacher Karen Davidoff said.

Often, when a person is exercising, these neurotransmitters are released and benefit a person’s current state

“Our own natural producing transmitters improve our overall well-being, our overall health,” Davidoff said.

When a person owns a dog they have to take it for walks, jogs and sometimes even hikes. Being a dog owner requires a person to keep up with their daily needs, one of which is exercise.

2. Foster a sense of responsibility

Owning a pet like a cat, dog or something more exotic, like a bird or lizard, can teach kids responsibility at a young age.

“[Tito] teaches me that I have to be accountable and responsible for somebody else,” Kruse said.

Time and effort is required when owning a pet. It’s not as simple as studying for a quiz or packing a lunch. For sophomore Ariah Mazumder, who owns a bird, pet’s demands can take up a big chunk of the day.

“Having a bird means spending money and spending time making and buying toys for them,” Mazumder said. “[It means] having to clean up poop and having to house proof everything.”

Taking care of a pet is a big responsibility, there are some parts that are not exciting and do require a lot of work. Ultimately, a pet can ingrain a sense of responsibility and prepare someone for the future who needs it.

3. Fights loneliness

Pets can provide a sense of companionship according to Litherland.

“Loneliness impacts college students and the elderly…having a pet is great to combat that [loneliness],” Litherland said.

Animals can affect a person greatly by their presence alone. They can provide a form of emotional support for people and form bonds with their owners that could impact the owners themselves for a lifetime.

For people that don’t own a pet, getting the opportunity to interact with someone else’s pet, or even a therapy animal can help people get through the day.

“I think it gives [a] sense of quick happiness,” Davidoff said.

Although owning a pet will not improve a teenager’s well being on its own, it can ease stress off students who are preparing for a midterm exam, participating in extracurriculars and other stressful activities.