Cat or dog boosts wellbeing as much as a wife or husband: Study

Pets Can Make You Just as Happy as a Husband or Wife

It’s not in your imagination; pets really do make you feel better. Pets increase life satisfaction and wellbeing similarly to that of family and friends, sometimes even working as a substitute to them, according to a U.K. study published in the Social Indicators Research journal. The study, which looked at cats and dogs, found that a pet is worth $90,000 a year in life satisfaction. While “life satisfaction” is intangible, the rating is meant to…

‘Who is actually taking care of who?’ Pets make us happy — about $120,000 worth of happiness, says new study on National Pet Day

The study found pet companionship increases a person’s life satisfaction worth up to about $127K a year, “similarly to family and friends.”

Coming through the door from a hard day's work to be greeted by the irrepressible joy of a dog bounding towards you, like they haven't seen you in years, can be as satisfying as returning to an actual human partner, according to a new study. Raising a...

Pets Bring as Much Joy as Family and Friends Says New Study - One Green Planet

New research finds that pets boost human happiness by as much as close friends and family, showing just how valuable companion animals are. The post Pets Bring as Much Joy as Family and Friends Says New Study appeared first on One Green Planet.

Pets could boost wellbeing as much as a wife or husband, study suggests

Owning a pet can enhance wellbeing, equating to the life satisfaction boost from marriage or friendships, according to a new study.

By Issy Ronald Having a cat or dog for company could improve your well-being as much as being married or regularly meeting up with friends and family, new research suggests. The study, published March 31 in the journal Social Indicators Research, finds that owning an animal companion provides a benefit of up to £70,000 (US$90,000) a year in life satisfaction—a metric economists use to quantify the “implicit price” of otherwise intangible things.