“There are many studies that demonstrate positive health and mental health effects of pet ownership on a wide range of human conditions,” Jan Tornick, senior lecturer in the Psychology department at University of New Hampshire and an expert in animal behavior, told Bored Panda in a recent interview.

For example, according to the Waltham Petcare Science Institute, pet parents—especially those sharing a home with a dog—have a lower risk of cardiovascular disease and better overall heart health. In addition to that, pets can positively influence people’s mental well-being by providing emotional support and helping them deal with stress and the way they respond to it.

Expert in lifestyle medicine and wellness and a teacher at Harvard Medical School, Dr. Elizabeth (Beth) Pegg Frates, too, emphasized that what critters share with us are more than just playtime and derpy faces. "Pets provide us with a sense of belonging, connection, and contentment for which we all long," she told Harvard Health Publishing.

Dogs, for instance, make their humans exercise, too, whether they feel like it or not. According to Harvard Health Publishing, dog owners tend to walk roughly 20 minutes more per day than those without a four-legged companion.

But the physical activity taking daily walks entails is not the only benefit of taking time to explore the great outdoors with your pet. "Dogs are great mindfulness teachers because they live in the moment, using their senses of smell, hearing, sight, and touch as they move through the world," Dr. Frates pointed out, suggesting that following your dog’s lead while on a walk and focusing on what they focus on can be a great way to relieve stress.

Some research suggests that one of the reasons pets have such a positive impact on people’s well-being is the link between human-animal interactions and their levels of oxytocin—one of the so-called happiness hormones. And one doesn’t need to look far for evidence, just pay attention to any dog-and-owner duo after the human comes home from work; there ought to be faces lighting up, tails wagging, feet stomping, and at least a couple of “who’s a good boi” here and there.

The benefits of owning a pet have likely had something to do with the growing interest in sharing a home with an adorable critter over the last few decades. According to Forbes, nowadays roughly 66% of households in the US—adding up to nearly 87 million homes—own a pet, while back in 1988, roughly 56% of them did.

Forbes revealed that the majority of pet owners in the US opt for dogs as their companions, which are followed by cats and freshwater fish respectively in regards to popularity. As for the owners themselves, millennials top the list as the largest group of pet owners (comprising roughly one third of the entire total), followed by Gen X (25% of pet owners), and baby boomers (24%).

Millennials seem to be in the lead not only as the largest group of pet owners, but the one likely interested in the animal-human relationship the most. The study of Millennials and the Human Animal Bond found that a quarter of those born between 1981 and 1996 always talk to their veterinarians about the health benefits of pet ownership, which is more than representatives of other generations.

The study also found that roughly three in four millennials would have a more favorable view of and would be more likely to visit their veterinarian if the latter discussed the health benefits of the human-animal bond with them.

Considering the fact that three in four millennials view social media as an essential part of their daily life and nearly as many check social media sites several times a day, it’s safe to assume that millennials share plenty of snapshots of their beloved critters online.

But to anyone who is Facebook friends with their Baby Boomer aunt Susan or who follows their youngster cousin on Instagram, it is clear that millennials are not the only ones sharing pictures of their animals on a daily basis. According to Jan Tornick, one of the main reasons we tend to create or view animal-related content nowadays is the interest in their actions that has been passed down to us from our ancestors.

Tornick explained that humans’ interest in animal behavior has been passed down to them evolutionarily. Their ancestors—hunters, for instance—would watch animals in order to survive, passing on the interest in animal behavior to future generations, even if the reasoning for such an interest has clearly changed shape since then. (It’s safe to assume that hunting a critter with a camera in order to take a picture is more common now than the type of hunting one’s ancestors engaged in.)

“Many domestic animals have been selectively bred for traits like docility and neoteny (infant-like features), which makes them seem vulnerable to us,” the expert continued, adding that that’s when people’s inborn need to nurture kicks in and that’s why we find them—and content related to them—so darn adorable. ”The cute memes and videos effectively reinforce our positive feelings towards animals.”

It’s no secret that we love pictures of derpy doggos and sleepy cats, among other animals, here at Bored Panda; hence the numerous lists dedicated to them on our site. So, if you feel like browsing some more heartwarming animal-related content, continue to our category dedicated entirely to them next.