毛孩子们的儿童节
爱宠日
Today is "National Love Your Pet Day" in the United States, but every day is "love your pet" day in my home.
今天是美国的“国家爱宠日”，不过在我家每一天都是爱宠日。
Snuggling next to my kitties while their furry chests softly rumble is a proven antidote to the day's stress.
凑近吸猫，磨蹭它们柔软的胸毛是公认的解压大法。
For me and millions more, having a pet brings a circle of love into our lives -- they give affection, we give it back and all of us are the better for it.
对我和成百上千万的人来说，拥有一只宠物就给我们的生活注入了很多的爱，它们会给我们爱，我们也会回报它们，我们双方都因为有了爱的更美好。
Science agrees.
科学界也赞同这一说法。
"I have a list of 10 health benefits [that] studies have shown pet owners have," said psychologist Harold Herzog, a pet-loving professor at Western Carolina University who has long studied the human-animal connection.
“我列出了那些拥有宠物的人所享受的十大健康益处。”心理学家哈罗德·赫佐格说的，他是西部卡罗来纳州大学的爱宠教授，一直在研究人类和动物的联系。
"Higher survival rates, fewer heart attacks, less loneliness, better blood pressure, better psychological well-being, lower rates of depression and stress levels, fewer doctor visits, increased self esteem, better sleep and more physical activity," are just some of the recorded benefits of pet ownership, Herzog said.
“包括更高的存活率，心脏病发病更少，孤独感更少，血压状况更好，心理健康更好，抑郁和焦虑概率更低，生病看医生的次数更少，更自尊自爱，睡眠更佳还有锻炼活动更多”这些都是拥有宠物的人们所享受的益处，赫佐格说道。
But here's a shocker ...
但也有令人惊讶的事情。
Herzog also points to studies that found pet owners "are more likely to be lonely, depressed and have panic attacks, more likely to have asthma, obesity, high blood pressure, gastric ulcers, migraine headaches, and use more medicine, et cetera."
赫佐格也指出，研究发现，拥有宠物的人也更可能感到孤独，抑郁，恐慌，更有可能患上哮喘，肥胖，高血压，胃溃疡，偏头疼以及服用更多的药物等。
As often occurs in science, studies have had mixed results.
正如科学中经常出现的那样，研究发现了一些矛盾的结果。
Some research shows benefits to having a pet, other studies say there's no difference between the health of those who do and don't own pets.
有些研究表明拥有宠物有好处，其他的研究者说有没有宠物差别不大。
Still more research suggests there could even be negatives about pet ownership (and we don't just mean picking up poop from the yard).
还有一些研究表明有宠物的人可能会面临一些负面效应（我们指的并不是从院子里捡狗屎。）
That's right.
没错。
Despite the fact we're convinced of the blessings our fur babies bring to our lives, science has yet to definitively prove that pets are good for our health.
尽管我们都相信这些毛孩子给我们的生活带来了快乐，科学界还没能够确实证明宠物确实对我们的健康有益。
"A lot of us who have pets think, 'Oh, they must be sort of uniformly good for us', said Megan Mueller, co-director of the Tufts Institute for Human-Animal Interaction and proud owner of a dog and guinea pig.
“我们很多有宠物的人都会想'噢，它们对我们肯定只有好处'，梅根·穆勒说道，她是塔夫茨人与动物互动中心的合作主任，并很骄傲地宣称自己养了一只狗和一只荷兰猪。
"We're finding is it is a little bit more complicated than we originally thought," she added.
“我们发现这件事比我们原本想的要复杂一些。”她补充道。
"I always say that it's not a great question: 'Are our pets good for us?'
"It's who are pets good for, under what circumstances, and is it the right match between the person and the pet?"
“我经常说这是一个好问题，'我们的宠物到底对我们有好处吗？''究竟在什么样的情形下，对什么样的人才会有好处，这个人养的宠物，是不是真的适合他？'”
Pet owners certainly believe their pets provide emotional support, especially during times of stress, Mueller said, and thankfully science appears to back that up.
宠物的主人们大都相信他们的宠物可以提供情感支持，尤其是当他们感觉到压力的时候，穆勒说道，幸运的是，科学似乎也支持这一点。
"There's some research that shows having a pet with you during an anxious event could help reduce the stress of that event," she said.
“有一些研究表明，在焦虑时期拥有一只宠物，可以帮你减少这个时候的压力。”她说道。
"Studies have shown repeatedly that people's good mood increases and bad mood decreases around pets," Herzog said.
“研究多次表明，在宠物身边时，人们的快乐更多，难过更少，”赫佐格说。
"And so we know that there's immediate short term benefits, physiological and psychological, with interacting with pets. I have no doubt about that."
“所以我们可以说在跟宠物互动时，无论身体上还是心理上，都会有直接的短期益处，关于这一点是毫无疑问的。
But the same can't yet be said about depression.
但收到抑郁症时，情形就不同了。
Herzog pulled 30 studies on the topic: Eighteen showed no difference in depression rates between people with pets and those without; five concluded having a pet eased depressive symptoms; five found pets made depression worse; and the rest were inconclusive.
赫佐格查阅了这方面的30篇研究：有八篇表明有没有宠物的人换抑郁症的概率没有什么区别；有五篇得出结论说，拥有宠物能够缓解抑郁症状；有五篇发现，宠物加重了抑郁症状，其余的则没有得出结论。
Another research method being used, said Mueller, are longitudinal studies, in which huge numbers of people are followed over long periods of time.
还有一种研究，穆勒说，是属于寿命研究，他们会长期跟踪观察很大量的人们。
The hope is that these studies, and the more scientifically designed experiments, will tease out more precise reasons for why a particular pet might -- or might not -- be a good fit for a person and their needs.
希望通过这样一些研究以及更多的科学设计的实验能够找出宠物给人们带来好处，以及满足他们需要的原因。
One day, Mueller says, it might be possible to 'prescribe' a dog for a young active child, a troubled adolescent or cardiovascular patient and know -- as much as science can ever know -- what the outcome is likely to be for their health.
也许有一天，穆勒说道，我们可能会给一名活泼好动的小孩，一名烦恼的青少年或者有心血管疾病的患者开出一条狗的处方，并且知道根据科学，结果会对他们有好处。
Maybe we'll finally have data to put behind the "cat vs. dog" debate, or just how and why a bird, fish, lizard or gerbil might soothe our stress and provide companionship.
也许我们最终会用有一些数据来结束猫狗之争，又或者知道怎样以及为什么拥有一只鸟，鱼，蜥蜴或沙鼠能够缓解我们的压力，提供陪伴。
Until then, fellow pet lovers, I intend to go back to what I intuitively know: my pets are some of the most loving "people" in my life, and that, if nothing else, makes them good for me.
在那之前，所有的爱宠的人们，我想要回到最初所知道的一件事：我们的宠物是我们生命中最爱的家人，仅仅这个就足以使他们对我们有好处了。
问题
文中没有提到以下哪一种宠物？
Ａ 蜥蜴
Ｂ 蛇
C 鱼
Ｄ 鸟
留言回复正确答案，前十名朋友可以获得红包奖励哦，赶快来试试吧。
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