2018-2022

Exploring the association between pet ownership and psychological wellbeing: Do pets contribute to human wellbeing and if so, how?

While the current zeitgeist suggests that the presence of pets is associated with higher human well-being, the scientific findings are mixed: Some studies show that pet owners have higher well-being compared to non-pet owners, while other studies show no significant links between living with a pet and human well-being, and others even show a negative link between pet ownership and human health.

A large pan-Canadian study conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic

As part of this research project, a large representative Canadian sample was recruited during the COVID-19 pandemic. A first study explored the differences that may exist between pet owners and non-pet owners regarding their psychological well-being. Results revealed that pet owners reported lower psychological well-being compared to non-pet owners on a majority of well-being indicators. This effect was specifically observable among: women; people who had several children living at home; and people who were unemployed at the time of the study. For these groups of people, having a pet may have represented an added burden and generated additional stress during the pandemic. However, having at least one dog was associated with increased psychological well-being; this result could be explained by the capacity of dogs to encourage physical exercise and outdoor activities among their owners, within the limits permitted during the pandemic.

Based on these findings, we proposed a number of concrete and theoretically-based strategies for developing more mutually beneficial relationships between pets and their humans. These strategies, which take into account the needs of pets and our responsibilities toward them, also aim to promote the place that animals occupy in our lives, to create positive contacts with them, and to support their needs for autonomy, competence, and social belonging (relatedness).

Toward an identification of the beneficial psychological factors

A second study resulting from this project allowed us to explore which psychological processes operate in human-pet relationships and make the presence of pets beneficial to humans. We discovered a particularly clear role for the psychological factor pertaining to mindfulness felt in the presence of pets: Specifically, the more pet owners reported experiencing mindfulness in the presence of their animal, the higher their psychological well-being. In addition, the more pet owners perceived that their pet encourages social connections with fellow humans and accepts them unconditionally, the higher their well-being.

Socially, the findings from this research project contribute to demystifying the role of pets in human well-being. They also confirm the importance of taking into account sociodemographic factors to better understand the diverse experiences associated with the presence of pets, as well as the need to capture the nature of the bond that exists between pet owners and their animals.

Team members

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