If you woke up one day to find that sound-detecting, killer aliens had taken over the entire planet, you might think the last thing you needed was a cat to catch their attention. A Quiet Place: Day 1In the horror franchise’s prequel, which hits cinemas on June 28, a service cat named Frodo is a big part of the reason the unlikely duo is able to escape extraterrestrial creatures.
Sure, moviegoers were biting their nails in tension as Frodo lumbered through the monster-infested streets of New York, but the cat has a bigger purpose: Frodo shows us just how helpful pets can be in times of trouble (e.g., Apocalypse This can be extremely difficult, especially for people with chronic illnesses.
Frodo provides much-needed comfort to his owner, Sam (Lupita Nyong’o), a terminally ill cancer patient in a hospice care facility, and is even visible when she is in agony as her medication wears off. Later, when Frodo finds an anxious Eric (Joseph Quinn) wandering just outside the flooded subway, the cat’s hypnotic calm is enough to ease his panicked breathing and guide him to Sam. The two eventually meet and form a complicated but powerful bond that ultimately helps them survive.
“The presence of animals actually produces physiological changes in our bodies that reduce anxiety and make us feel calmer.” Dr. Jody Thomas“Pets are the calm in the storm,” she tells SELF, a clinical psychologist in Denver who specializes in medical trauma and pain. And even when we’re surrounded by chaos, like violent aliens or the nasty results of our latest blood test, “pets are largely unaffected” or not at all, she says. “Pets are the calm in the storm.”
This couldn’t be more clear in the film: while the aliens are wreaking cinematic havoc, Frodo seems utterly unfazed, often exploring unknown territory with aplomb, leaving anxious (and uncomfortably quiet) audiences sweating on the edge of their seats. In the real world, the blissful ignorance of pets can help people with chronic illnesses forget about their stress and pain, and reduce harmful behaviors like catastrophic thinking and hypervigilance, which keeps us constantly stressed out over potential threats. “Having a pet is literally the ultimate mindfulness activity,” says Dr. Thomas.
Decades of research suggests that interacting with animals increases levels of pain-relieving hormones like endorphins, oxytocin and prolactin, and pet owners tend to have lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels, meaning your little buddy may help relieve stress, says Dr Thomas.
And of course, service animals are trained to help ease the burden of any chronic illness, such as: Post-traumatic stress disorderepilepsy, schizophrenia, depression, and some allergies. Research has also shown that owning a cat can increase the chances of recovery from illness. Heart attack or strokeCaring for fish encourages teens with type 1 diabetes to take control of their diabetes Blood glucose level;Playing with guinea pigs Reduces anxiety For children with autism.
Like Sam (and eventually Eric) in the film, pets can also give their owners meaning in life. “Taking on the role of caregiver when you’re the one being cared for is incredibly powerful,” says Dr. Thomas.
And that’s exactly what the film’s writer and director, Michael Sarnoski, had in mind for the shaggy movie star. The Hollywood Reporter. “At a time when there’s so much going on in the world and we can feel overwhelmed, it’s essential to be able to refocus on what’s really important and feel human.”
Related:
Get SELF’s great service journalism delivered to your inbox, free of charge.
