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Guy makes a post about what you should have 'by age 30.' People's responses were hilarious.

"By the age of 30 you should have anxiety, and an emotional support pet that also has anxiety."

this is 30, what to have by 30, turning 3o
Photo by NIPYATA! on Unsplash

This is 30.

When Steve Adcock, an entrepreneur and “fitness buff” posted this to his Twitter: “By age 30, you should have a group of friends that talk business, money, and fitness, not politics and pop culture,” … people had thoughts.



His post might have been intended as more of an encouragement to surround yourself with people who challenge your current mindset, considering the tweet continued with “one of the biggest mistakes I've ever made was making friends with like-minded folks who talked about the same [stuff] over and over. I agreed with 99% of it. Your comfort zone will kill your progress.”

But still, overall the tweet left an unsavory taste in people’s mouths—primarily because it implied that money was somehow a better conversation topic than what people are usually genuinely passionate about. Why not talk about your favorite television show with friends if it lights you up inside?

It also seemed to uphold the dying myth that by the age of 30, the puzzle pieces of adulthood should somehow, as if by magic, simply fall into place. And this is where folks chimed in with their own hilarious (and sarcastic) jokes about what one should expect by their third decade on planet Earth. They did not disappoint.

Here are 12 things you didn’t know you needed by the time you turn 30. Enjoy:

1.

“By the age of 30 you should have anxiety, and an emotional support pet that also has anxiety.” – @shilparathnam

I have at least three friends who tick this box.

2.

turning 30

So. Many. 401ks.

Giphy

“By the age of 30 you should have a therapist you always reschedule on, a big bag of spinach in the fridge that always goes bad before you get to it, and at least one stagnant 401k that you haven’t merged after changing jobs.” – @kianatipton

Check, check and check.

3.

“By the age of 30 you should own, not rent, OWN a bouncy castle. This is a time when you should be building equity. The only way to beat inflation is with inflatables.” – @FridayinHalifax

Where’s the lie?

4.

viral twitter

What's one more notebook?

Giphy

“By the age of 30 you should have a favorite pen you won’t let anyone use, a cache of pretty notebooks you’re saving for a special occasion, and at least one piece of media you rewatch endlessly for comfort.” – @allieiswriting


Oh how I do love using my unicorn gel pen while writing in my notebook as “The Great British Bake Off” plays in the background. Not my good notebook, of course. That’s tucked away for the day I finally write the next great American novel.

5.

“By the age of 30 you should have at least one large emotional support box of obsolete* cables.* but you know they aren't.” – @nanoraptor

Better yet, make it two.

6.

funny tweets

Iconic

Giphy

“By age 30 you should have a sick ass jacket people identify you by.” – @dieworkwear


Nicolas Cage knew this back in the '90s.

7.

“By the age of 30 you should have at least 3-5 feral raccoons as your best friends.” – @casinthemeadow

A Marvel-based Twitter account thought something similar…

8.

millennials, millennial culture

Wink :)

Giphy

“By the age of 30, your friend group should consist of a talking raccoon, a tree with a limited vocabulary, the most dangerous woman in the galaxy, and Drax.” – @MarvelUnlimited

9.

“By the age of 30 you should have one friend who is a little frog.” – @Hana_D_Barrett

I don’t know who these 30-year-olds with frog friends are, but they are winning at adulting.

10.

getting older memes

Don't forget a funny sidekick!

Giphy

“By age 30 you should have several henchmen, a sworn enemy, and a narrative foil.” – SparkNotes

The company that’s helped us fake our way through book reports in high school offers life lessons too.

11.

millennial humor

My brain at all times.

Giphy

“By the age of 30, you should have at least 5 web browsers with over 100 tabs opened that you don't have any plan to actually read.” – @KhoaVuUmn

Being 30 means having virtual commitment issues. Finally, one person rallied in the war of art versus commerce, and their stance was quite clear.

12.

“By your 40's-50's (or sooner), you realize that people that talk frequently about their money/wealth are nothing but insufferable, shallow boors. Call me dull, but I prefer to talk about amazing books, podcasts, gardening, hobbies, documentaries/shows on Netflix, etc.” – @SJCanyonLove

Bottom line: Love what you love and don't weigh yourself down with arbitrary rules about age.


This article originally appeared two years ago.

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Heroes

Man finds genius loophole to beat squatters at their own game. Homeowners say he's a hero.

"All I'm doing is becoming a squatter and flipping this process on them."

Canva Photos

Flash Shelton has been nicknamed the "Squatter Hunter" and helps people take their homes back.

Squatters' rights laws are some of the most bizarrely misused legal realities we have, and something no one seems to have a good answer for. Most of us have heard stories of someone moving into a vacant home and just living there, without anyone's permission and without paying rent, and somehow this is a legal question mark until the courts sort it out.

According to The National Desk, squatters' rights are a carryover from British property law and were created to ensure that abandoned property could be used and to protect occupants from being kicked out without proper notice. The argument is that it's better to have someone openly living in a home and taking care of it, properly maintaining it, versus it laying abandoned and rotting away. Families and residents add value to a community, and those residents should have rights — or so the reasoning goes.

It should go without saying that squatter law isn't meant to allow someone to just take over someone else's property, but sometimes that's exactly what happens.

A squatter takeover is exactly what happened to Flash Shelton's mother when she put her house up for rent after her husband passed away.


A woman contacted her with interest in the property, only she wanted to do repairs and look after the home instead of paying rent. Before anyone knew it, she had furniture delivered (which she later said was accidental) and set up camp, despite Shelton's mom not agreeing to the arrangement.

But since the woman had expressed her intention and already moved in, the matter was out of police hands, as Shelton found out when he tried to contact the local sheriff. If that sounds like trespassing to you, well, join the club.

“They said, ‘I’m sorry but we can’t enter the house, and it looks like they’re living there, so you need to go through the courts',” he shared in a YouTube video.


Shelton rightfully didn't want the expense of a court battle, so he took matters into his own hands—not with violence, but with logic. He had his mom lease the home to him, and then told the squatter that she had to move everything out because he was moving things in.


squatters, homeowners, criminals, trespassing, law, property law, viral videos, youtube, squatter hunter How exactly is squatting not trespassing? It's complicated, for some reason. Giphy

“If they can take a house, I can take a house," he said.

He was calm and clear about her having to get everything out within the day or he would have people come and take it, and thankfully, she didn't put up a big fight.

That experience made him realize how squatter law can be abused, but that there's a faster system for removing a squatter than to go through the court system. If a squatter can move in and force a homeowner to take them to court to prove they are living there illegally, then he could simply move in alongside the squatter, putting the squatter in the position of having to take the homeowner to court instead.

"The legal process is so slow, and at some point when they're in there, you're going to feel like they have more rights than you do and that's how you're going to be treated. So even though you it's your house and you're paying the mortgage or whatever, at some point squatters feel like they have more rights than you, so they don't have an incentive to leave until a judge tells them to, until they're actually ordered to, and that could take months."

After successfully removing the squatters in his mother's house, Shelton has been tackling similar squatter situations for other homeowners in California, earning him the nickname "The Squatter Hunter."

"All I'm doing is becoming a squatter and flipping this process on them," Shelton told CBS News. "I figured if they could take a house, I could take a house."

According to CBS, he's successfully removed a dozen squatters in the past year. ""I'm not going in and I'm not hurting anyone," he said. "I'm not kicking them out, I'm not throwing them out." He's literally just moving in himself, setting up cameras, and then creating small annoyances until the squatters get fed up enough to move out; like making uncomfortable alterations to the home or making a ton of noise at inopportune hours.

Shelton parlayed his success into a reality show on A&E called, fittingly, Squatters. It premiered in July of 2025. To put it lightly, it looks intense! Clips posted on Shelton's social media show hostile standoffs with angry squatters and even he and his team causing damage to the home or creating nuisances to help drive the squatters out.

California isn't the only state that has seen issues with squatters. There are squatter stories from all over the U.S. of people moving into a property and refusing to leave without a court order, tying owners up in lengthy, expensive legal battles.

Though squatting is relatively rare overall, some areas of the country have more issues than others. California, Texas, Georgia, and Florida are areas, in particular, that struggle with squatters and abandoned properties.

Shelton even has a Change.org petition to try to get squatter laws changed to "make squatting in residential maintained homes criminal." Making squatting illegal "will shift the burden of proof onto the squatter and make the crime punishable with restitution an option for damages," the the petition states.

Not all homeowners will have access to someone like Shelton and his team to fight back against squatters. But until the laws change, he's doing as much as he can.

Watch Shelton share his personal story:

- YouTube www.youtube.com

This article originally appeared last year. It has been updated.


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Survey of 3,000 couples reveals striking link between wedding costs and 'Happily Ever After'

More proof that money can't buy happiness.

via PixaBay
"I now pronounce you, in debt. You may kiss the bride."

In 1964, Paul McCartney of the Beatles famously sang, “I don’t care too much for money, money can’t buy me love.” While Mr. McCartney’s sentiments were definitely a major foreshadowing of the hippie, free-love movement that was to come in the ‘60s, it appears as though he was also onto a big truth that wouldn’t be proven for another 50 years.

11 years ago, researchers Hugo M. Mialon and Andrew Francis-Tan from Emory University embarked on the first study to determine whether spending a lot on a wedding or engagement ring meant a marriage would succeed or fail.

The pair wanted to see if the wedding industry was being honest when it came to claims that the more money a couple spends, the more likely they are to stay together.

“The wedding industry has consistently sought to link wedding spending with long-lasting marriages. This paper is the first to examine this relationship statistically,” the researchers wrote.

wedding costs, expensive weddings, wedding rings, weddings, marriage, love, family, research, psychology, culture Maybe don't splurge on the big balloon release. Photo by Álvaro CvG on Unsplash

The researchers carried out online surveys with more than 3,000 people who have been married at least once and live in the United States.

After reviewing the answers to the questionnaire the researchers learned that spending big bucks on a wedding and engagement ring made a couple more likely to get divorced.

So much for the idea that "Diamonds are a girl's best friends." Thanks a lot, Marilyn!

The researchers determined that "marriage duration is inversely associated with spending on the engagement ring and wedding ceremony."

For example, couples that spent between $2000-4000 on an engagement ring were about 1.3 times more likely to divorce than couples who spent in the $500-2000 range. For wedding ceremonies, $20,000 was the big cut off — any more than that was correlated with a 1.6 times increase in divorce likelihood. Remember that this study was conducted in 2014. In 2025, the average cost of a wedding is a whopping $31,281. Clearly, an updated survey is needed.

Conversely, the research found that "relatively low spending on the wedding is positively associated with duration among male and female respondents."

Those cheap courthouse weddings that cost almost nothing? Very often, they foreshadow a long-lasting marriage!

The researchers also found that the number of people who attend the wedding matters, too. The questionnaire revealed that “high wedding attendance and having a honeymoon (regardless of how much it cost) are generally positively associated with marriage duration."

The researchers haven’t studied why people who splurge on weddings and rings have a greater chance of having to hire divorce lawyers, but they have a few theories.

wedding costs, expensive weddings, wedding rings, weddings, marriage, love, family, research, psychology, culture A romantic wedding day kiss. Giphy

“It could be that the type of couples who have a … (cheap wedding) are the type that are a perfect match for each other,” Mialon told CNN. “Or it could be that having an inexpensive wedding relieves young couples of financial burdens that may strain their marriage,” he added.

Francis-Tan believes that people who have weddings with a large number of attendees are more successful because they have a lot of support.

“This could be evidence of a community effect, i.e., having more support from friends and family may help the couple to get through the challenges of marriage,” Francis-Tan said. “Or this could be that the type of couples who have a lot of friends and family are also the type that tend not to divorce as much.”

(Interestingly, common sense would indicate that a high guest count naturally drives up the cost of the wedding — so it really comes down to how much you're splurging on food and decor.)

Could it also be that people who put a big emphasis on a flashy wedding and jewelry tend to bit a bit more materialistic? It makes sense that couples that are really into keeping up appearances may not have their priorities straight when it comes to building a loving relationship.

wedding costs, expensive weddings, wedding rings, weddings, marriage, love, family, research, psychology, culture Gwen Stefani throws a bouquet in a music video. Giphy

Of course, there are many, many factors that go into a long, happy, and successful marriage. And don't forget that not all marriages that last are happy. Spending big on a fancy engagement ring or splurging for the chocolate fountain at the wedding don't spell doom for couples that communicate and work on their relationship. Like anything in life, there are no guarantees either way.

To finish things off with another pop music analogy, “If you liked it then you should have put a ring on it,” (just make sure it’s an inexpensive one, in front of a lot of people, in your backyard).

This article originally appeared four years ago. It has been updated.


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Culture

Passenger on 274-day cruise is surprised to learn the one word you can't say on the ship

"It's like saying 'Macbeth' in a theater."

via Mattew Barra/Pexels
There's one word you can't say on a cruise ship.

There are some things you just don't say. You don't yell out "bomb!" on an airplane, make jokes about carrying weapons while going through security, or, as Michael Scott from The Office knows, loudly proclaim that a boat you're currently on is sinking.

Those are all pretty obvious examples, but sometimes etiquette and decorum are a little more subtle. If you're not experienced in the ways of the venue you're in, you might not know all the unspoken rules. And you might find out the hard way. Cruise ships, for example, have their own very specific set of rules and regulations that guests should abide by.

On December 10, 2023, Royal Caribbean’s Serenade of the Seas set sail on the Ultimate World Cruise—a 274-day global trek that visits 11 world wonders and over 60 countries.


cruise, 9-month cruise, Marc Sebastian, cruise life, vacation, titanic, unspoken rules, etiquette, cruise etiquette, royal caribbean 9 months is a very long time to be aboard a boat, even a giant cruise ship. Photo by Peter Hansen on Unsplash

This incredible trip covered the Americas, Asia Pacific, Middle East, Mediterranean and Europe with a ticket price that ranges from $53,999 to $117,599 per passenger.

With such a unique and incredible offering, it's understandable that Royal Caribbean wanted to invite plenty of influencers to help them get the word out.

Aboard the Serenade to the Seas was popular TikToker Marc Sebastian, who documented his experience throughout the journey. In one video with over 4.3 million views, he revealed what he’s learned over his first few weeks aboard the ship; the biggest was the one word you’re not allowed to say.

"So here's [what] I've learned about cruising since I've spent 18 nights on this floating retirement home with a Cheesecake Factory attached. First, number one, you're not supposed to talk about the Titanic," he says in the clip.

Titanic! It's the ultimate taboo when you're on a giant ship traversing the ocean. Even after all these years, it's still too soon to make even lighthearted comparisons or jokes.

@marcsebastianf

someone get whoopi on the line girl i have some goss for her #ultimateworldcruise #worldcruise #serenadeoftheseas #cruisetok #cruise #9monthcruise #titanic

“Who knew that? I didn’t,” Sebastian said. “I brought it up to an entire room of people having lunch that our ship is only 100 feet longer than the Titanic — when I tell you that utensils dropped. Waiters gasped. It’s dead silent.”

Sebastian was flabbergasted. "It wasn't in the... handbook," he joked. "Not that I read the handbook, clearly."

After the unexpected reaction, his cruise friend told him, “You’re not allowed to talk about the Titanic.” It makes sense.

Who wants to be reminded of the tragedy that killed around 1,500 people while sinking one of the most impressive engineering feats of the era? More experienced cruisers chimed in that they were familiar with the unique piece of etiquette.

cruise, 9-month cruise, Marc Sebastian, cruise life, vacation, titanic, unspoken rules, etiquette, cruise etiquette, royal caribbean Pro tip: Don't ask the band on board to play "My Heart Will Go On" by Celine Dion Giphy

"When I went on a cruise, my mom told me saying Titanic was equivalent to screaming ‘bomb’ at an airport," Mikayla wrote in the comments.

"It’s like saying Macbeth in a theatre, it’s an unspoken rule" another commenter added.

"I’m sorry you’re telling me you had a Harry Potter like experience saying Voldemort at Hogwarts but it was the titanic on a modern day cruise I’m cryingggg" joked another.

Later in the video covering little known cruise facts, Sebastian admits he was surprised to learn that cruise ships have godmothers and that the pools are filled with seawater.

In an update from June of 2024, Sebastian explains that he only stayed on the cruise for 18 nights. He was not booked to stay throughout the entire voyage, and for him, that was a relief.

He initially jokes that he was kicked off the boat for saving a penguin that had jumped aboard. But in the end, he admits he was more than happy to deboard early.

"I walked off that ship not a happy man," he said, saying the ship was overstimulating and stressful. In another video, he films as the ship navigates the Drake Passage, one of the most notoriously dangerous and choppy stretches of water in the world. It looks stressful indeed, to say the least.

Cruising isn't for everyone, let alone for 274 days straight! But now Sebastian knows the golden rule for his next cruise.

This story originally appeared last year. It has been updated.

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People over 40 share what they're 'midlife crisis' looked like, and it's actually inspiring

No fancy cars or questionable relationships here.

Photo credit: Canva

Maybe it's not a crisis at all.

We’re all familiar with the common midlife crisis trope of someone waking up one day and suddenly buying a flashy new car, dating someone half their age, or jumping into some other kind of spontaneous—not to mention questionable—endeavor, all to reclaim a bit of their glory days.

We've seen it in movies and on television, but does this phenomenon actually exist? Many researchers would say the answer is no, and call it more of social construct, since a) not everyone experiences it, b) it doesn’t appear to exist in all parts of the world, and c) the "crisis" in question is triggered by life altering events like divorce, job loss, or unexpected health issues, rather than growing older itself. However, many people anecdotally note that it’s the midlife crisis itself that triggers these events. So, we’ve got a bit of a chicken-or-the-egg situation.

However, regardless of how scientifically sound the concept is, plenty of people note feeling a need to reevaluate their lives and confront their own mortality during this period. So, we might as well consider its legitimacy. Furthermore, unlike how it’s typically portrayed in the media, midlife crises can actually lead to some incredibly positive impacts.

That was certainly the case for these folks over 40 who were asked via Reddit what their midlife crisis looked like. Yes, maybe a few did end up buying a fancy car, but, by and large, it sounds like people used these existential chapters to really align their lives with their values, which is pretty darn inspiring and certainly a refreshing take against the whole “aging is terrible” narrative we’re regularly fed.

Many chose to travel (and move) abroad

midlife, midlife crisis, divorce, travel, life, inspiring, motivation, getting older, age, 40s, mental health Any excuse you can use to travel more, right? Photo credit: Canva

“Backpacked around Europe for 5 months after getting divorced at 39. Quite honestly, that trip saved my life. 40 is going great so far!”

“Traveled across China and fell in love with a woman on an overnight train to Beijing. Just met up with her again in Vietnam last month. Who knows how this ends, but she is the most interesting person I’ve ever met. Zero regrets so far.”

“Moved to Berlin, had a 3 year bender…and then I moved back home. best decision I’ve ever made (both moving there and moving back).”

“I moved half a planet away from the country of my birth and married a man 16 years younger than me. We’ve been married 17 years now, so it worked out for the best, but boy did I go scorched earth.”

Others decided to learn something new or finally take up a new hobby

midlife, midlife crisis, divorce, travel, life, inspiring, motivation, getting older, age, 40s, mental health Sometimes getting older is about letting yourself be young again. Photo credit: Canva

“I bought about $15,000 worth of guitars, amps, and accessories all at once in my late 40s. Still play the same notes and chords I was playing when I was 16. I thought something great was going to occur…it didn’t.”

“Bought a ukulele. Playing it a lot.”

“Taking improv and acting classes, clumsily working out, doing my best not to quit my work.”

“Went back to grad school, zero regrets.”

“I’m in my second year of learning French.”

“Legos…..ungodly amount of legos.”

Quite a few cut habits, people, and lifestyles that no longer served them

midlife, midlife crisis, divorce, travel, life, inspiring, motivation, getting older, age, 40s, mental health Goes to show that it's never too late to make healthy changes in life. Photo credit: Canva

“Got fired from my job because I am a drug addict. Wound up homeless for a few months last summer and now, after nearly a year of going through detox, rehab, halfway house, and now a 3/4 house, finally have some control over shit.”

“I’ve decided to quietly fade the woman I’ve called a best friend for over 20 years. We have very different ideas of what friendship should look like, and I’ve come to a dual conclusion: she likes me but doesn’t respect me, and I love her out of sheer loyalty.”

“It’s a doozy. Starting off with a divorce and basically rebuilding myself and my life from scratch.”

For the majority, a midlife crisis looked like scaling back on (or flat-out quitting) their job

midlife, midlife crisis, divorce, travel, life, inspiring, motivation, getting older, age, 40s, mental health Sometimes we just gotta get off that hamster wheel.Photo credit: Canva

“Quit my job, started my own company. The crisis was a catalyst for change, which is what most people need more of in their lives, lest we become over-comfortable and whiny.”

“I gave up sales and became a mental health counselor for kids. Just wanted to feel like I was helping.”

“I quit my job that took my 30s away. I had no plan at all. The place just felt toxic the whole time. Found a job 10 months later, which was part-time, and I couldn’t be happier. During those 10 months, I was likely recovering from 11 years of anguish stemming from that job. Time off will do your mind so much good and give you clarity for what’s ahead. Don’t discredit what you can do without making money.”

“A few family health crises made me realize that my career (which is typically regarded as “prestigious” and required many years of postgraduate education) is not as important as my family. I still like my job, but I refuse to give it more than 40 hours a week because each extra hour means less time with the people I love. I scaled back my ambitions and had to accept just being “good enough” at work, but I’m much happier now.”

“I stopped trying to climb the corporate ladder. Just learned to live with less, and in turn my days are much easier and more peaceful.”

Many became more focused on engaging in healthy activities (running, specifically)

midlife, midlife crisis, divorce, travel, life, inspiring, motivation, getting older, age, 40s, mental health Marathons are the new Corvettes. Photo credit: Canva

“Started doing marathons and triathlons…..beats buying a Corvette.”

“I’m at the marathon stage. My budget is hoping I don’t progress to the triathlon stage.”

A few ended up giving themselves a bit of a makeover…or at least switched up their shopping habits.

midlife, midlife crisis, divorce, travel, life, inspiring, motivation, getting older, age, 40s, mental health It amazing how much of a transformation a haircut can provide. Photo credit: Canva

“The summer I was 42, I got bangs and dyed my hair purple.”

“48. In the last few years, I’ve gotten the tattoo and helix earring I’ve been wanting forever. Stopped dying my hair dark brown and let it be. Started jogging and eating clean… I call it an awakening.”

“I had pink hair for a couple weeks during COVID, but that was it – I’m 51.”

“Started buying clothes from Costco. It’s wild man…”

Many started taking their happiness seriously and cut out all the noise

midlife, midlife crisis, divorce, travel, life, inspiring, motivation, getting older, age, 40s, mental health "Best investment I’ve ever made was in myself.”Photo credit: Canva

“45. Completely reinvented my life. Decided my only goal for the rest of it was to pursue joy. Anything that doesn’t bring me peace and joy? I don’t invest in it. Best investment I’ve ever made was in myself.”

And yes, some bought a car

midlife, midlife crisis, divorce, travel, life, inspiring, motivation, getting older, age, 40s, mental health Hey, if it makes your happy, and it doesn't hurt anyone…Photo credit: Canva

“I bought a Dodge Challenger.”

“Sports car and sports car accessories.”

“I guess mine was that I bought another old BMW. (’86 E30).”

“I’ve had serious anxiety issues surrounding cars and driving. So I bought a sports car and tracked it. Getting into motorsports is helping me be a better driver, but it was a total midlife crisis purchase.”

“Motorcycles . Maybe that was a combo of post divorce thing for myself and mid life crisis idk but I’m enjoying it.”

Point being, maybe a midlife “crisis” isn’t something we have to be afraid of at all. Maybe it’s another way we are able to actually sink our teeth a little deeper into our one precious life. And, hey, if it comes with travel…sign me up.

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The real reason why you should always pet your dog before leaving the house

Research shows the dogs experience a "plateau of melancholy" when you walk out the door.

Photo credit: Canva

Who doesn't wanna pet their dog before they leave?

One of the most wonderful things about having a dog is how attached they become to their owners. I work from home and my Jack Russel terrier, Scout, lies next to me on his bed for most of the day. The only time he leaves my office is for a sip of water or to go outside and sun his belly on the porch.

That's why whenever I leave the house and can't take Scout with me, I wonder, "Does he miss me? Is he sad that he's alone?" I know I'm not alone in feeling this way, and turns out, the science says we have reason to ask ourselves these questions.

Do dogs miss us when we're gone?

A study published in Psychology Today shows that our dogs do, in fact, miss us the moment we leave the house, and that feeling slowly intensifies until we are gone for about four hours, and they have a "plateau of melancholy." That's why the longer you're away, the more excited your dog is when you return home.

dogs, pets, dog anxiety, dog studies, dog psychology, pet psychology We might be in a hurry. But it feels like a lifetime when we're gone. Photo credit: Canva

That certainly explains why the moment I pull up in my car, Scout begins to howl like a wolf trying to contact someone who's miles away. It's like, "Dude, I'm 30 feet away. Give me a second to grab the groceries out of the trunk."

However, another study made by researchers from the Universities of Pisa and Perugia, Italy, has found that if you give your dog some affection before you leave the house, they'll have less anxiety while you're away.

How to calm your dog before leaving the house

They conducted experiments with 10 dogs between the ages of one and 11 without attachment issues. The group was composed of seven mixed-breed dogs, one Labrador retriever, one Hovawart, and one Chihuahua.

Participants in the study walked their leashed dogs into a fenced area where they were greeted by a researcher who took their dog's heart rate. In the first test, after the owners walked their dogs into the area, they talked with a researcher for one minute then left without giving the dog any special attention.

dogs, pets, dog anxiety, dog studies, dog psychology, pet psychology Dogs that were petted showed "behaviors indicative of calmness for a longer period while waiting for the owner's return."Photo credit: Canva

In the second test, the dog owners petted the dog during their interaction with the researcher. In both tests, the owners left the fenced area and hid far enough away so that the dog couldn't smell them.

After the owners left, the dogs looked for them for about three minutes on average. After the owners returned, the researchers measured the dogs' levels of the stress hormone cortisol as well as their heart rates.

The researchers found that whether the dogs were petted or not, their cortisol levels were unchanged. But their heart rate showed a marked decrease if the owners petted them before leaving. Researchers later watched videos of the dogs and found that the ones that were petted showed "behaviors indicative of calmness for a longer period while waiting for the owner's return."

dogs, pets, dog anxiety, dog studies, dog psychology, pet psychology A simple gesture that speaks volumes to your doggo. Photo credit: Canva

Next time I'm ready to leave the house and Scout follows me to the front door after saying, "Sorry bud, you can't go with me on this trip," I'll kneel down and give him a little extra love and attention. Maybe that way he won't howl like the house is on fire when I pull up in my car after a trip to the grocery store.

This article originally appeared four years ago.

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