Pet interaction lifts mood but does not buffer stress

A new study suggests that while interacting with pets generally boosts mood, it does not help people cope with stress in the moment, and for cat owners under pressure, more interaction might even intensify negative feelings. The research, published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology, challenges the common assumption that pets act as immediate stress buffers.

Researchers from The Open University of the Netherlands collected real-time data from 188 pet owners over five days. Participants received 10 notifications daily via an app, prompting them to report their current emotions, stress levels, and whether they were interacting with their cat or dog. This method, known as ecological momentary assessment, generated nearly 8,000 data points.

The analysis showed that interacting with pets was broadly linked to more positive emotions and fewer negative ones for both cat and dog owners. However, when the team specifically examined moments of stress, they found that interacting with a pet did not shield owners from the negative impact on their mood. "Our findings indicate that stress-buffering is not the mechanism causing momentary emotional wellbeing when interacting with a pet,"...