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EAST LANSING, Mich. — The vast majority of dog and cat owners will say their pets enrich their lives in countless ways and bring immeasurable levels of extra happiness, but researchers from Michigan State University suggest that most pet owners may just be telling themselves what they want to hear. Their new study found that despite owners claiming pets improve their lives, researchers did not see a reliable association between pet ownership and well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The pandemic was a stressful time for everyone, to put it lightly. Even the most laid-back among us found themselves overwhelmed by the lockdowns and social distancing guidelines that dominated 2020. So, the research team at MSU theorized that the pandemic represented an ideal time to study just how much comfort and happiness pets really provide to their families.
In all, the study authors assessed a total of 767 people on three separate occasions in May 2020. The research team opted to adopt a mixed-method approach that allowed them to simultaneously assess several indicators of well-being, all while also asking participants to reflect on the role of pets from their point of view in an open-ended manner. Generally, pet owners predictably reported their pets made them happy. More specifically, they said their pets helped them feel more positive emotions and provided affection and companionship.
On the other hand, the participants also articulated the dark side of pet ownership, such as worries related to their pet’s well-being or having their pets interfere with working remotely.
Crucially, however, when study authors actually compared the happiness of pet owners to levels seen among non-pet owners, the datasets showed no difference in the well-being of pet owners and non-pet owners over time. The research team explains it also didn’t matter what type of pet people owned, how many they cared for, or how close a pet was to their person. Researchers also did not deem the personalities of the owners to be a factor either.
“People say that pets make them happy, but when we actually measure happiness, that doesn’t appear to be the case,” says William Chopik, an associate professor in MSU’s Department of Psychology and co-author of the study, in a university release. “People see friends as lonely or wanting companionship, and they recommend getting a pet. But it’s unlikely that it’ll be as transformative as people think.”
Study authors also explored several theories possibly explaining why there was no difference seen between the well-being of pet owners and non-pet owners. One of these hypotheses was that non-pet owners fill their lives with other activities and interests that make them just as happy as a pet would.
“Staking all of your hope on a pet making you feel better is probably unfair and is maybe costly given other things you could do in your life that could improve your happiness,” Prof. Chopik concludes.
The study is published in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin.
This site has so many “scientific” articles that are small samples, not corroborated, and no methodology or sources are cited. It’s becoming clear to me that it is nothing more than propaganda grinding away with an agenda. This article is perhaps the most glaring example. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was sponsored by drug companies that want everyone taking antidepressants. I am done looking at this site.
Focus on rebuilding your football program, Sparty. Leave the BS social studies for the weasels down in Ann Arbor.
Absolute crap of a study and waste of money. This is a big problem with academia, wasting time and money on garbage like this.
I am a senior who lives in a retirement community. At the beginning of the Covid Pandemic, I was confined to my apartment 24 hours a day. I live alone with my cat. I saw one friend for one hour a week–3 pm on Friday. My cat helped me through the isolation. Do not tell me that pets are not important to people. This study is nonsensical.
I think that’s B.S! Every pet I’ve had has brought me so much joy. Some more than others. Oh I had the best cat. i mean that dude was my bro! Like a dog!
Nonsense. My beautiful pets are blessings and bring joy and happiness to me beyond measure.
This is a perfect example of why you should never take the results of studies at face value. Most pet owners would disagree.
Whomever did this study is FULLY suffering from SOS (stuck in stupid syndrome, or SOS in short)
That being said, if the animal is low maintenance like say for example a feline, now if were talking about animals that must be walked five times a day, then yeah, it might not have the same serenity as other pets.
That’s a bunch of malarkey. I’ve had cats all my life and found them to be extremely comforting to have around. It’ll be a cold day in hell when I take what a bunch of woke idiots seriously.
Another CCP influenced study with Jeewon Oh. They are taking pets away from people incrementally, and don’t want us to have them either. They are trying to make it illegal to walk your dog in public, and it took until 2020 to make dogs ‘pets’ and not ‘livestock’. Always follow the study funding.
The woke won’t rest until they have completely eliminated all sources of happiness. They hate people and believe we are somehow not a part of nature and don’t belong on the planet. BS. Keep your self loathing to yourself, where it belongs.
BS…….
Haters gonna hate.
Anyone who doesn’t like or value pets is a sociopath.
Study that!
A lot of people are upset about this study, almost taking it personally.
Important: they are *NOT* saying that you don’t love your pets, nor that your pets don’t love you and bring you joy, etc. They aren’t even saying that individual pets of individual people, like you, aren’t integral to _your_ happiness now that you have these pets.
They’re saying that people without pets are, on the whole, just as happy as those of you who have pets. Accordingly, pets don’t bring happiness that isn’t available in other ways.
Maybe people without pets have more children, on average. Maybe people without pets find additional happiness from activities, travel, and things that are harder to do with pets. Maybe people just generally find a way to be relatively happy, usually.
The point, here, that’s more important is that humans in pretty much any circumstances can be happy or down, and those circumstances — including pets, family, etc. — don’t make radical differences because …
Humans are humans.
That’s my take, at least.
StudyFinds.com continues to publish any BS that has the word “study” in it. This website is click-bait. Don’t be a fool and believe it as facts.
I have my dog sitting on my lap right now.
Are telling me I’m not really feeling what I’m feeling?
My Pet Rock died because I forgot to feed it . I think it was stoned most of the time anyway .
Bullspit !
My pet rats Love me !
I’d say John’s full of it, just saying.
Interesting how many other studies show just the opposite. So which studies do you believe? I believe the others!
I am not even reading this. I find the title sufficient and quite enough to call BS. From my experience, my pets are a source of happiness and well being. I look forward to sitting with them everyday and enjoying them. I am not going to knit a sweater here but suffice to say they are akin to my nightly dip in the hot tub. Therapeutic. I am sure someone was well paid for the nonsense study,