Study Finds Owning a Pet Is As Good For You As Being Married

by Nevena Nacic

Published: May 31st, 2025

sergey kolesnikov/Shutterstock

Owning a pet cat or a dog can be as satisfying as being married, or regularly seeing your friends, or family, a new study shows.

The study, published in the journal Social Indicators Research, also found that having a four-legged companion offers the same psychological benefits as being married or earning an extra $90,000 a year.

Researchers at Kent University used the “life satisfaction” approach, which economists use to measure intangible assets like family and friendship, to calculate a hypothetical income.

The study analyzed data from 2,500 British families and found that owning a pet comes with an increase in life satisfaction of 3-4 points on a scale of 1-7. Similar values were acquired for meeting with friends and family regularly.

In other studies, economists have shown that marriage, compared to being single, is worth around $90,000 a year. On the other hand, separation is equal to around minus $170,000.

The lead author of this study, Dr Adelina Gschwandtner, an economics professor at the University of Kent, told The Times she was inspired by a recent research paper that put a price tag on human friendships.

“I thought, ‘well, if it’s possible for friends, why not for pets?’”

“I understand why some people may be skeptical,” she added. “Given that pets are considered by many as best friends and family members, these values appear to be plausible… I also suspect that many people don’t actually realize how important their pets are for them.”

Numerous studies have shown that owning a pet offers many health benefits. Research shows that spending time with a dog relieves stress, keeps you active, and helps you live longer.

Stroking a cat has been proven to lower blood pressure and heart rate. Having a cat at home can reduce the risk of asthma and allergic rhinitis in children exposed to allergens.

A simple act of petting a cat or a dog helps lower the levels of the stress hormone cortisol, promoting calmness and reducing stress.

Dr Gschwandtner added, “This research answers the question whether overall pet companions are good for us with a resounding ‘Yes’.”

“Pets care for us, and there is a significant monetary value associated with their companionship. This information can be used for health care practices and policy aiming to increase well-being and life satisfaction of humans involving pets.”

This study also shed some light on the personality traits of pet owners, noting that cat owners appear to be more open, while dog owners tend to be more agreeable, extroverted, and less neurotic.

The study’s authors also pointed out that pet owners in general appear to be more open, conscientious, and extroverted than people who don’t own a pet.

While the mental and physical benefits of owning a dog are well-known, scientists are still debating the overall impact pets have on their owners’ well-being.

According to Megan Mueller, an associate professor at Tufts University who studies the relationship between people and animals, things are more complicated than they seem.

“A lot of us see our pets as contributing to our life satisfaction, but depending on how you measure that in the research, it comes out different ways.”

But rather than comparing pet ownership and life satisfaction, the authors of this study decided to prove a causal link.

If the results of this study are correct, and pets improve satisfaction as much as data suggests, Dr Gschwandtner hopes policymakers will make it easier for people to own cats or dogs.

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Nevena Nacic

Nevena is a freelance writer and a proud mom of Teo, a 17-year-old poodle, and Bob, a rescued grey tabby cat. Since childhood, she had a habit of picking up strays and bringing them home (luckily, her parents didn't know how to say NO). When she's not writing for her fellow pet parents, Nevena can be found watching Teo sleep. To her defense, that's not as creepy as it sounds!

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