The science of pet ownership and its impact on human well-being is more complex than it appears. Psychologist Hal Herzog has been questioning whether owning pets makes people happier and healthier for over a decade. Despite his findings suggesting that the benefits of pet ownership are inconclusive, many people find it hard to believe.
Herzog argues that while many believe caring for a pet is beneficial, similar to eating vegetables or exercising regularly, the scientific evidence supporting this is at best, inconclusive. Over the past 30 years, hundreds of studies have explored a link between pet ownership and hypothesized benefits, including improved heart health, longer lifespans, and lower rates of anxiety and depression. However, the results have been mixed, and in many cases, the studies simply can’t determine whether pets cause the observed effect or are simply correlated with it.
The role of industry money in these studies is also under scrutiny. The pet care industry has invested millions of dollars in human-animal interaction research, mostly since the late 2000s. Feel-good findings have been trumpeted by industry press releases and dominated news coverage. At times, industry figures have even framed pet ownership as a kind of public health intervention.
Read more: arstechnica.com