New Delhi, India

Do your pets make you happier? A new study has claimed that pets don’t have any positive impact on the well-being of their owners, contrary to the widely-held belief.

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The study has been published in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, which assessed 767 people over three times in May 2020. It becomes important to note that the assessment was done during the distressing period of the COVID-19 pandemic, which helped researchers better understand the impact of their pets on the participants’ mental well-being.

Contrasting data

Although pet owners claimed they became happier due to their pets and felt more positive emotions, there was little data to back these arguments.

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When researchers compared their happiness, gauged on the basis of several indicators, with non-pet owners, they found no difference in well-being.

The researchers found that it did not matter what type of pet was owned, how many pets were owned or how close they were with their pet. 

“People say that pets make them happy, but when we actually measure happiness, that doesn’t appear to be the case,” said William Chopik, an associate professor in MSU’s Department of Psychology and co-author of the study. 

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“People see friends as lonely or wanting companionship, and they recommend getting a pet. But it’s unlikely that it’ll be as transformative as people think,” Chopik added.

Reasoning

One reason that the researchers cited for the similar level of happiness among pet owners and non-pet owners was that the latter had other things to do which made them happy. 

Watch: Elon Musk's new chatbot, AI decoding pet language

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“Staking all of your hope on a pet making you feel better is probably unfair and is maybe costly given other things you could do in your life that could improve your happiness,” added Chopik. 

Perception

Previous studies claimed that having pets was linked to having healthier hearts among pet owners. Those having pets were less likely to stay home sick, make fewer visits to the doctor, get more exercise, and are less prone to depression compared to non-pet owners.

Also read: Watch | ‘Man-turned-dog’ goes on his first walk, makes some canine friends

Furthermore, pets – especially dogs and cats – are known to reduce stress, anxiety, and depression, ease loneliness, encourage exercise and playfulness, and even improve cardiovascular health.

However, the new study challenges these perceptions, highlighting the need to carry out further research and studies to get a better understanding of this relationship.

(With inputs from agencies)