More than half of the entire world’s population (56%) is meant to own a pet (Mars, 2024). So if so many people own pets, then we must be getting something from this experience, this diverse species family we create. So let’s explore.
Psychological And Emotional Benefits Of Pets
Hormonal regulation
Interacting with a pet, such as stroking a dog or cat, has been shown to decrease the level of cortisol (a stress hormone) while simultaneously increasing the release of ‘feel-good’ hormones like oxytocin, serotonin, and dopamine. This chemical shift is associated with feelings of calm, joy, and relaxation.
According to Beetz, Uvnäs-Moberg, Julius, and Kotrschal (2012), it’s well-documented that human-animal interactions offer benefits to our mood, particularly in mitigating stress, fear, and anxiety.
Our contact with animals, even eye contact (Lebid and Simonova, 2021), can release oxytocin, even during our first interaction. The more stable our relationship is with our pets, the more potent and long-lasting the effects will be due to repeated exposure and release of oxytocin. We also get oxytocin release from human contact, just so you’re aware.
Immediate comfort
Because our pets are a source of sensory stress relief, their presence and the act of touch can rapidly lower blood pressure and heart rate (Beetz, Uvnäs-Moberg, Julius, and Kotrschal, 2012), providing an immediate calming effect during stressful or anxious moments.
This is why animal-assisted therapy exists, because interactions with animals and owning pets can help with our mental health, even with things like trauma and eating disorders (Urwin and Holroyd, n.d.). Animal-assisted therapy uses trained animals, like dogs or horses, within structured treatment plans to improve a person’s physical, social, emotional, or cognitive functioning, working alongside a therapist to achieve specific goals like reducing anxiety, increasing movement, or boosting mood.
This works because animals provide non-judgmental support, acting as ‘icebreakers’ to help people open up, reduce stress, and form bonds, complementing traditional therapies in settings from hospitals to schools. Programmes such as these are often used to support people with an autism diagnosis as well.
Focus management
Pets, particularly therapy animals, can aid in managing conditions like anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) by providing a living, breathing anchor to the present moment, helping to interrupt negative thought spirals.
A study by Stern et al. (2013) surveyed US military veterans with PTSD, who reported that since adopting a dog, they’d noticed improvements in several areas. They saw improvements with feeling calmer, less lonely, less depressed, and less worried about themselves and their family’s safety.
One of the reasons pets, especially dogs, are good for PTSD and anxiety is that they work as a really good grounding source. Grounding techniques often rely on using our senses to help bring us back to the present (Henry, 2024), and stroking a pet that might lick us (dog) or headbutt us (cat) is wonderful at providing that.
It’s for this reason that animal assistance in therapy, education, and care has greatly increased through animal-assisted interventions, animal-assisted therapy, and other activities (Beetz, Uvnäs-Moberg, Julius, and Kotrschal, 2012).
Companionship
Pets provide a constant, non-judgmental companion, which is especially valuable for people who live alone, the elderly, or those who feel socially isolated. They offer someone to talk to (even if they can’t answer), which is a lot like the empty chair technique from therapy, and they become someone to share our daily life with.
Jonathan Davis of the awesome band that is KoЯn who, talks about his amazing relationship with his beloved pooch, Dante, with Chan (2025) for Billboard. He talks about how having that unconditional love and companionship has changed his life, and I bet a lot of pet owners, especially dog owners, will say the same thing.
This is supported by Lebid and Simonova (2021), who state that living with a pet means we’ll always have someone with us while at home, with evidence showing that people with pets feel less alone than people without pets.
During covid, pet ownership took on a whole other meaning during our prolonged social isolation. A study by Grajfoner, Ke, and Wong (2021) was carried out on 448 Malaysian participants, testing for psychological outcomes, psychological wellbeing, positive/negative emotions, resilience, and coping self-efficacy.
Their results indicated that pet owners reported significantly better coping self-efficacy, significantly more positive emotions, and better psychological wellbeing, but were no different on the other measures, surprisingly.
Sense of purpose
Having a pet can help with developing healthy routines, because we have to take care of their needs every day (Lebid and Simonova, 2021). This can mean a set time to feed them, a set date to clean them, play with them, and provide them with enough exercise. Hopefully, this will also mean it’s easier to do the same for ourselves as well.
Caring for pets (feeding, grooming, exercising, etc.) provides a structure and routine to the day. This responsibility can give pet owners a strong sense of being needed and a reason to get up, which can significantly alleviate symptoms of depression and improve self-esteem. A sense of purpose like this can be essential for our wellbeing.
Social catalyst
Pets can also be a good way to meet other people, such as other dog owners or people just wanting to pet your dog (Lebid and Simonova, 2021). In some countries, you have dog parks, dog beaches, and doggy day care, where you’ll have an increased chance of meeting people, where the dog works as an ice breaker and a topic of discussion. Thus, owning a dog can help to build our social support network and reduce social isolation.
Improving cardiovascular health
Pet owners often exhibit lower blood pressure (Levine et al., 2013; and National Institutes of Health, 2018), lower cholesterol levels, and lower triglyceride levels, all of which are key indicators of a reduced risk of heart disease. There’s also evidence that heart attack patients with pets tend to survive longer than those without. I’ve certainly read a few news stories of pets getting help for their owners.
Increasing physical activity and fitness
Dogs require regular walks, runs, and playtime. This requirement hopefully motivates dog owners to engage in regular physical activity, often exceeding recommended weekly exercise guidelines.
Thus, dogs, more than any other pet, have a positive influence on our physical activity, with many studies showing that dog owners engage in more physical activity and walking than non-dog owners (Levine et al., 2013).
This is supported by Dall et al. (2017), who studied 43 pairs of dog owners and non-dog owners over the age of 65. They found that owning a dog motivated older adults to engage in appropriate levels of physical activity for their health.
Outdoor time
Again, another one that’s aimed at dog owners, as they are more likely to spend time outdoors, which provides benefits like increased Vitamin D exposure and the general mood-boosting effects of fresh air and nature. And being in nature is good for our wellbeing.
Boosting immune function
Some research suggests that early exposure to pets may help protect young children from developing certain allergies and asthma by diversifying their gut microbiome and immune system exposure. A Study by Indolfi et al. (2023) reviewed 17 other studies and found evidence for this protective function.
Security
Owning a dog can provide a sense of security, deterrence, and protection, which can reduce anxiety about personal safety.
Playfulness
As we grow older, we often stop engaging in the joy that is playfulness. But owning a pet can help with that. Their high energy and need for engagement encourage us to play more, promoting lightheartedness and joy.
Getting up
If you need help getting up in the morning, then having a cat is for you, at least that’s the claim. Start feeding a cat at the time you want to be woken up, and that cat will wake you up if you’re running late.
Are Pets All Rainbows And Unicorns?
Not everyone agrees that pet ownership is the perfect solution to our wellbeing needs. Herzog (2011) argues that people always give the same answers when asked bout what they get from owning a pet. They believe that because this is such a widely held belief, people believe this without question. They make the case that pets aren’t a substitute for doctors and therapists, which is true. I hope no one believes that.
The argument is this: the positives we believe exist as a result of pet ownership are the “pet effect” rather than scientifically true. Do they really help us live longer? Who knows, but if that’s the only reason we want a pet, then maybe pets aren’t for us in the first place.
Partial support for this comes from Northrope, Shnookal, Ruby, and Howell (2025), who state that pet ownership can, but not always, be associated with better mental wellbeing. They believe this comes down to attachment.
Northrope, Shnookal, Ruby, and Howell (2025) conducted a systematic review of 116 peer-reviewed studies on owner attachment to pets. They found some studies that show that a stronger attachment to our pet is linked to better mental wellbeing. But, they also found some that this link could also cause worse mental health or found no connection at all. However, there are probably many other factors at play.
It’s certainly true that not everyone is going to get the same positive results from owning a pet, because they are a life we have to look after. Furthermore, some pets can have problem behaviours that can be detrimental to our wellbeing because of how stressful that is.
Summary
The profound bond between humans and pets creates a symbiotic relationship where the pet provides unconditional love and motivation, directly impacting our body chemistry, social life, and daily routine in ways that promote a longer, healthier, and happier life. At least according to some. But it’s also a two-way street; our love for our pets affects their body chemistry too.
Ultimately, pet ownership should be approached the same way as you might with having a child. The understanding that they are a commitment, that owning a pet may come with stress as well as happiness, and that we should only have one for the right reasons.
As always, leave your feedback in the comments section below. Also, please share your experiences with animals and pets in the comments section below as well. Don’t forget, if you want to stay up-to-date with my blog, you can sign up for my newsletter below. Alternatively, click the red bell icon in the bottom right corner to get push notifications for new articles.
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References
Beetz, A., Uvnäs-Moberg, K., Julius, H., & Kotrschal, K. (2012). Psychosocial and psychophysiological effects of human-animal interactions: the possible role of oxytocin. Frontiers in Psychology, 3, 234. Retrieved from https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2012.00234/full.
Chan, A. (2025, July). Power Pets: Korn’s Jonathan Davis Says His Dog’s ‘Unconditional Love’ Changed His Life. Billboard. Retrieved from https://www.billboard.com/photos/korn-jonathan-davis-dog-dante-changed-life-power-pets-1236021110/1-dante-cr-brittany-parisi-07142025-billboard-1548.
Dall, P. M., Ellis, S. L. H., Ellis, B. M., Grant, P. M., Colyer, A., Gee, N. R., Granat, M. H., & Mills, D. S. (2017). The influence of dog ownership on objective measures of free-living physical activity and sedentary behaviour in community-dwelling older adults: a longitudinal case-controlled study. BMC Public Health, 17(1), 496. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-017-4422-5, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28595596, and https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12889-017-4422-5.
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Henry, C. (2024, December). How your pet can reduce YOUR anxiety. Dr. Christine Henry: Therapy for Pet People. Retrieved from https://therapyforpetpeople.com/blog/reduce-your-anxiety-with-your-pet.
Herzog, H. (2011). The impact of pets on human health and psychological well-being: fact, fiction, or hypothesis?. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 20(4), 236-239. Retrieved from https://faunalytics.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Curent_Directions_-_Pets_and_Human_Health.pdf.
Indolfi, C., D’Addio, E., Bencivenga, C. L., Rivetti, G., Bettini, I., Licari, A., Manti, S., Mori, F., Miraglia Del Giudice, M., & Klain, A. (2023). The Primary Prevention of Atopy: Does Early Exposure to Cats and Dogs Prevent the Development of Allergy and Asthma in Children? A Comprehensive Analysis of the Literature. Life (Basel, Switzerland), 13(9), 1859. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.3390/life13091859 and https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10533148.
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