But even though the belief that pets bring many benefits to their owners is widespread, research shows that having a pet is not a panacea for bolstering human psychological well-being.

Despite this, pets are often portrayed in the news and on social media as effective solutions to reduce stress and loneliness, reflecting a popular belief in their health benefits.

This can lead people to adopt pets without fully considering the responsibilities and demands involved, which can have negative consequences for both themselves and their pets.

[–] BountifulEggnog@hexbear.net 7 points 1 month ago

Very interesting, thank you.

So I love having pets, I've had them my entire life. All kinds. But I never really felt less alone for having them? Like they're great and everything but I've never had that feeling of, "oh well I don't have any friends but at least I have an animal". Its just different box for me. I assumed I was the odd one out, and maybe that was because I don't care much for dogs, maybe because I'm ND, but its interesting to know it doesn't actually fill that gap for a lot of other people either.