Sure, we love our pets, but did you know that they actually help to relieve stress? It's true. The comfort and companionship that pets provide their owners can help reduce stress, keep them healthier, and even increase self-esteem.

Pets provide us with companionship, social interaction and an emotional relationship. Most owners find that they're loved unconditionally by their pets, something which is hard to come by. Further, many of us, whether we admit it or not, talk to our pets, thus getting things off our chests and relieving stress to some degree. Then there's the whole snuggle factor of pets, be it a big wet kiss from your dog or some cuddling with your cat, all of which no doubt has its benefits too. Pets can provide a bit of comic relief too, as they're prone to do some pretty silly things.

When it comes to dogs, they often increase one's level of exercise by requiring walks. More exercise often leads to decreased stress. Pets can also relieve stress by increasing your sense of safety. This is obviously true with a big dog, even if he really is a big softy, but even cats have been known to wake an owner at the presence of smoke in the house.

It's also been shown that pets can increase their owner's sense of worth by meeting the need to care for someone else.