I am one of the 25% of people in the UK who owns a dog, and this is something I am hugely grateful for. To know that, no matter how bad my day, my trusty companion would be waiting eagerly at the door for my return, is something marvellous. Dog owners worldwide will not hesitate to tell you the benefits of our furry friends (their unconditional love, their unwavering companionship, and the joy the bring to our lives) but now there’s some research to back this up!
A 2019 Australian study published in BMC Public Health set out to study whether owning a dog has an effect on mood. For example, do they increase happiness and do they decrease loneliness? Researchers sought to find three different groups of people: people who would be acquiring a dog within one month of starting the study, people who were highly interested in owning a dog but refrained for the duration of the study and the last group were people who had no interest in owning a dog. The results were startling! After just three months, the group who owned a dog felt decreased loneliness, decreased negative emotions and increased positive emotions.
The researchers suggest, however, that it may not be simply the act of owning a dog that has positive effects but there could, in fact, be secondary effects at play. Dogs require walking (some more than others) and in doing so, get you up and out of the house (before you know it, you find yourself becoming a frequent visitor of the local park). Moreover, the benefits of exercise for mental health are well known (even a short walk every day can do wonders). The researchers also believe having a dog can lead to social benefits, as dog owners tend to speak to more strangers than they did before (this connection with others could have an impact on our mental wellbeing). Let’s not get ahead of ourselves though. Interestingly, the positive effects of owning a dog had diminished from 3 months to 8 months. In other words, after the initial excitement of owning a dog, could the positive effects wear off over time? It is possible, and it is likely that other factors that weren’t captured by this study may have been important in this (such as unforeseen vet bills or arranging dog-sitting during holidays etc).
Personally, I think the positives outweigh the negatives over a lifetime but without any empirical evidence, we can’t be sure. I’m not saying go out and buy (or rehome!) a dog, as it’s a major commitment that entails a significant change in lifestyle. I’m simply suggesting that if a canine friend is in your future plans, these are some ways your mental wellbeing could benefit. Even if you decide against having a dog, get out of your house, go for a walk, and start up a conversation with a stranger (maybe chat about their dog!). Anyway, if you’ll excuse me, I need to walk mine…
References
Powell, L., Edwards, K. M., McGreevy, P., Bauman, A., Podberscek, A., Neilly, B., … Stamatakis, E. (2019). Companion dog acquisition and mental well-being: a community-based three-arm controlled study. BMC Public Health, 19(1), 1428.