Most of us feel guilty leaving out pets at home when we go to work; 8 hours without us is a long time, especially if our beagle likes to quell his separation anxiety by massacring the living room chair. But what if offices all around the country began to not only allow us to bring our pets to work, but welcomed them?
Researchers at Central Michigan University in Mount Pleasant wondered if there was any scientific evidence to suggest that bringing our pets to work would actually help make our offices better places, and when they found that there wasn't much out there, they decided to roll out their own experiments.
After conducting two experiments that involved both interactions between strangers and moral cooperation between strangers (one group of which had their pets around them at all times), Christopher Honts and his research team came up with the conclusions that not only does having Fido around allow us to interact in a warmer, stronger way with other people, it also helps us make better-informed, morally justified decisions.
These findings shouldn't surprise anyone who has a deep relationship with their pet; our cats and dogs and even giant squawking birds just seem to make us better people, whether it's because they love us unconditionally or rely on us to take care of them. Besides, how many times have you stopped complete strangers on the street just so you could pet their adorable puppy?
Will bringing our pets to work signal the end of inter-office gossip and those awkward conversations around the communal lunch table? Why don't you send this article through the office email server along with that Christmas picture of your awesome dog wearing antlers and find out!
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