Study finds pets provide limited mental health benefits, mainly reducing loneliness for those living alone, challenging previous positive assumptions.
Most of us can recall stories about so-called “pandemic puppies” and the massive number of pet adoptions during the COVID-19 lockdowns. The sudden surge in pet ownership was largely attributed to people seeking companionship from animals to cope with things like depression, anxiety, and isolation.
However, a recent study conducted by researchers from Aarhus University and King’s College London indicates that pet ownership does not necessarily provide the mental health benefits people often expect.
Evaluating Mental Health Outcomes
The study, recently published in Mental Health & Prevention, tracked 6,018 individuals in the UK over 12 months, assessing their levels of depression, anxiety, anhedonia (loss of pleasure), and loneliness. Contrary to popular assumptions, the study found no evidence that pet ownership improved these mental health outcomes. In fact, pet owners reported slightly worse mental health outcomes compared to non-owners.
“Although the body of research done on the topic has been mixed, we were genuinely surprised to find that pet owners generally experienced slightly higher levels of depression, anxiety, and anhedonia during the COVID-19 pandemic,” says lead author Professor Christine Parsons from the Department of Clinical Medicine. “This runs counter to a prevailing public belief that pets are beneficial for mental health.”
Physical Activity and Mental Health
Another commonly held belief is that dog owners in particular benefit from increased physical activity and a more structured daily routine, which in turn might lead to improved mental health. Here researchers found that dog owners were indeed more likely to engage in daily exercise (40% compared to 35% of non-owners).
However, this increased activity did not correlate with better mental health outcomes, and no significant difference was found between dog owners and non-owners with regard to maintaining a daily structure.
Dispelling the ‘Cat Lady’ Myth
The research suggests that the only area where pet ownership provides a mental health benefit is in relation to loneliness. In popular culture, the trope of the ‘Cat Lady’ is a lonely, anxious woman with mental health issues. The new study also allowed researchers to test some of these cultural assumptions against reality.
Among individuals living alone, both dog and cat owners reported slightly lower levels of loneliness than those without pets. Even though the effects were small, they ran opposite to the lonely ‘Cat Lady’ trope. For those living as couples, families, or roommates, pet owners reported no measurable difference in the feeling of loneliness.
While women in the study were more likely to own cats (30.3 % compared to 22.7% in males), they were not more lonely, depressed, anxious, or anhedonic than men who owned cats.
Insights for Future Pet Owner Expectations
According to Parsons, this new study will be useful in managing expectations about the mental health benefits of pet ownership. She hopes that the results will nuance the public perception and media coverage, which she and her team of researchers have shown to be in favor of the positive narrative. “Our findings suggest that while pets can provide companionship, they are by no means a cure-all for mental health issues, especially during stressful times like a pandemic,” says Parsons.
Dr. Katherine Young, the senior author notes: “This study adds to the mixed body of research on pet ownership and mental health. While some previous studies have suggested benefits, the large, longitudinal nature of this research provides robust evidence to the contrary.”
Details on the Study’s Framework and Support
- The study is based on 6,018 responses from online questionnaires as part of the Repeated Assessment of Mental Health in Pandemics (RAMP) study and uses international standards for measuring mental health, such as the PHQ-9, GAD-7, MASQ-AD, and UCLA Loneliness Scale.
- The study was conducted in collaboration with researchers from King’s College London
Reference: “No beneficial associations between living with a pet and mental health outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic in a large UK longitudinal sample” by Christine E. Parsons, Christoffer Landberger, Kirstin L. Purves and Katherine S. Young, 26 July 2024, Mental Health & Prevention.
DOI: 10.1016/j.mhp.2024.200354
Funding for the study comes from the Carlsberg Foundation’s Young Investigator Fellowship and MQ – Mental Health Charity.
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2 Comments
Typical bought-and-paid-for quack “science” – paint the world with one, large brush.
I’m agreeing with the findings. They make sense when you look at what pet ownership is from the fundamental perspective. And the word “ownership” is a clue.
We often call pets “companions” but that’s just sugarcoating the underlying relationship, which is ownership. Pets are essentially slaves (or, in some bizarre cases, masters) in that relationship. They’re never equal. And every pet owner knows that on a subconscious level.
To foster one’s mental health, one needs a companionship of an equal. Pets are at best crutches or patches to one’s mental adversities. They can be toys, tools or weapons. But a cure they’ll never be.