Pets May Boost Wellbeing as Much as Partners, Study Suggests

Owning a cat or a dog might enhance your well-being just like getting married or frequently socializing with friends and family members, according to recent findings. research suggests.

The research, released on March 31 in the journal Social Indicators Research, indicates that owning a pet equates to approximately $90,000 (£70,000) annually in terms of life satisfaction — a value economists utilize to measure the “hidden cost” of non-quantifiable elements.

The amount mentioned is nearly equivalent to the estimated increase in earnings one might expect from being married or maintaining regular social interactions with spouses, family members, and friends, according to researchers who compared their results with previous studies employing similar statistical techniques.

The outcomes were astonishing even to the scientists involved. Initially, when I received these figures, I was taken aback," remarked Adelina Gschwandtner, an economics professor from the University of Kent and co-author of the study, "considering how substantial they seemed, even for someone like myself with a deep affection for animals."

She reflected, “Since many individuals assert that their pets are akin to close friends or family, this comparison holds merit,” she explained to CNN.

If our pets truly serve as companions akin to friends and family, then why isn’t their interaction equivalent to speaking with them weekly? After all, you see your pet daily.

While the advantages for mental and physical health from owning a dog, specifically, are widely recognized, scientists still have differing opinions about the general effect of pets on their owners’ well-being.

"It’s somewhat more intricate than most people believe," explains Megan Mueller, an associate professor at Tufts University, whose research focuses on human-animal relationships and was not part of this particular study.

"Many of us view our pets as enhancing our overall happiness, yet the findings can vary based on the method used for measurement in these studies," she explained to CNN, noting that she had not reviewed the particular statistical approach employed by Gschwandtner in her research.

In their research, Gschwandtner and her colleague Michael Gmeiner, who serves as an assistant professor of economics at the London School of Economics, utilized information gathered from a lengthy survey involving 2,500 British homes.

Instead of merely contrasting happiness levels with owning pets, which would show minimal insight beyond a connection between these factors, the economists proceeded to establish a cause-and-effect relationship.

To achieve this, they employed a complex statistical method called the instrumental variables approach. This technique involves identifying "a third variable that correlates with...in our case, owning pets—but does not correlate with life satisfaction," according to Gschwandtner.

What this variable aims to account for is the impact of possible omitted factors and potential reversed cause-and-effect relationships.

For instance, the authors stated, "It might be that individuals who are content and fit choose to adopt a pet as company instead of pets causing people to become happier and healthier." Consequently, in their study, they utilized survey information about personality traits along with pet possession and overall life fulfillment to account for this variable.

If pets indeed boost life satisfaction as indicated by the research, Gschwandtner urged lawmakers to facilitate pet ownership among individuals. This could be achieved, for instance, by easing rules that limit tenants from keeping animals.

Mueller warned against "attributing too many human traits to pets" and comparing our bonds with them to our connections with other people.

"Some components are alike,” she stated. “We understand that social and emotional support play crucial roles in human-pet bonds, much like what we experience through interactions with people... Even though animals connect with us profoundly, their relationship dynamics differ from those between humans.”

READ MORE: Pets may enhance well-being just as much as a spouse, according to a study.

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