Support from animals may feel stronger for women and those spending more time with them

MedicalXpress | 七月 29, 2026

In a study of Swiss adults, women and people who spent more time with a pet or another animal to which they might feel close reported feeling more attached to the animal and receiving more socioemotional support from it. However, the study found little evidence of links between pet ownership and participants' overall well-being. Rahel Marti of the University of Basel, Switzerland, and colleagues present these findings in the open access journal PLOS One on July 29, 2026.