EAST LANSING, Mich.(CBS DETROIT) – It has been more than three years since people began isolating themselves in their homes because of the pandemic. And during that time, many are believed to have relied on their pets to help them get through tough times.
A new study from Michigan State University found that despite having your pets around to get through the pandemic, “pet ownership was not reliably associated with well-being.”
“People say that pets make them happy, but when we actually measure happiness, that doesn’t seem to be the case,” said William Chopik, an associate professor in MSU’s Department of Psychology and co-author of the study. “People see friends as lonely or wanting companionship, and they recommend getting a pet. But it’s unlikely to be as transformative as people think.”
Researchers assessed 767 people three times in May 2020. Researchers asked open-ended questions and looked at several measures of well-being.
The study found that pet owners reported that their pets made them happy and helped them feel more positive emotions; however, they expressed concern for their pet’s well-being and that they interfered with remote work.
The results also showed that there was no difference in well-being between pet owners and non-pet owners. The type of pet, the number of pets, and the personalities of the owners did not matter.
The researchers suggested that people without pets were able to find other things that made them happy, so their well-being during this time was no different than that of pet owners.
“Pinning all your hopes on a pet to make you feel better is probably unfair and perhaps costly, given that there are other things you could be doing in your life that could improve your happiness,” Chopik said.
