(CNN) – “Man’s best friend” may be beneficial to your mental health.
A new study shows having a dog during childhood could lessen your risk of schizophrenia as an adult.
That’s according to researchers at Baltimore’s Sheppard Pratt Health System.
They say more than half of their subjects grew up with canines prior to becoming a teenager.
After comparing results, the research showed having a dog during childhood resulted in a 24% reduced chance of schizophrenia.
That percentage of a lesser risk more than doubled for babies who were around dogs.
Oddly enough, there was no major benefit for kids and cats.
The lead author isn’t sure why there’s an apparent link between dogs and schizophrenia.
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