🐾1 How Pets Support Our Mental Health

What the Pandemic Taught Us About the Power of “Simply Being There”

1. The Quiet Comfort Your Pet Brings

Have you ever noticed how your mind settles when your pet is near?
During the long months of lockdown, when social life was paused and isolation set in, many of us found comfort in our pets’ quiet companionship.

A group of psychologists from Heriot-Watt University (UK and Malaysia campuses) decided to explore this scientifically.
Their study, published in the peer-reviewed journal Animals (2021), examined how pets influenced human mental health during the COVID-19 lockdown in Malaysia.
The paper’s title:
“The Effect of Pets on Human Mental Health and Wellbeing during COVID-19 Lockdown in Malaysia.”

2. What the Study Looked At — Measuring the “Pet Effect”

The researchers surveyed 448 adults living in Malaysia, about half of whom were pet owners.
They measured various aspects of psychological wellbeing, including:

• Happiness and life satisfaction
• Anxiety, depression, and stress
• Resilience (the ability to bounce back)
• Coping self-efficacy (confidence in facing challenges)
• Positive and negative emotions

They also compared not just owners vs. non-owners, but also:

• Dog owners vs. cat owners
• People living alone vs. those living with both humans and pets

This approach offered a nuanced look at how different living situations shape emotional wellbeing.

3. What the Data Revealed — The Presence That Heals

The results were illuminating. Compared with non-pet owners, people with pets showed:

• Higher happiness and wellbeing scores
• Greater resilience (they bounced back more easily)
• Stronger self-efficacy (confidence in handling difficulties)
• More positive emotions overall

Interestingly, pets didn’t eliminate anxiety or depression — meaning they aren’t a “cure.”
Rather, they acted as a gentle buffer, helping people stay grounded and hopeful during a difficult time.

Even more fascinating: cat owners reported slightly higher happiness and positive emotions than dog owners.
And those who lived with both humans and pets tended to show greater emotional confidence — as if the combined warmth of human and animal company nurtured the spirit more deeply.

4. In Summary — Companions That Quietly Strengthen Us

The study confirms what many of us have long felt:
Pets were a steady emotional anchor during a time of isolation and uncertainty.
Their silent companionship helped people stay calm, resilient, and connected to something positive in the midst of global chaos.

5. Reflections for Pet Owners — The Mindful Power of “Being With”

What can we, as pet owners, take away from this?

• Pets are not only “comfort providers” but also partners in emotional regulation.
• When stress rises, take a mindful pause with your pet — no words, no tasks, just shared stillness.
• Even a calm, quiet pet (like a cat resting nearby) can soothe your nervous system simply by being present.
• Through pets, we learn to notice the moment — that’s mindfulness in its most natural form.

Try spending a few quiet minutes just breathing beside your pet, watching them, feeling their rhythm.
In that silent exchange, your heart may begin to settle.
It’s a wordless dialogue — one that restores, heals, and reminds us that connection doesn’t always need sound.

To live mindfully with your pet is to nurture not only their wellbeing, but your own.
It’s one of the gentlest ways to take care of your mental health. 🐾

Reference:
Grajfoner, D., Ke, G. N., & Wong, R. M. M. (2021).
The Effect of Pets on Human Mental Health and Wellbeing during COVID-19 Lockdown in Malaysia.
Animals, 11(9), 2689. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11092689

Mindful

ブロガー/獣医師・博士(獣医学)/DVM Ph.D.

心でつながるペットケア、やさしい科学をモットーに、最新の研究情報について発信している。