The shelf · Pets, robots and AI companions
Does Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat hold up?
Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat: Why It's So Hard to Think Straight About Animals, by Hal Herzog (2010)
An anthrozoologist examines how people treat animals, including the evidence for the health benefits of pets.
The short answer
His scepticism largely stands. Newer data link dog ownership to longer life, but still cannot show the dog is the cause.
The claims, checked
There is no evidence that owning a pet generally makes people live longer.
Contested A 2019 meta-analysis of 3.8 million people found dog owners had 24% lower all-cause mortality. The data are observational, so his point that cause is unproven still stands.
Evidence: Kramer et al., 2019
There is very little evidence that owning a pet makes people happier.
Holds with conditions Reviews in 2015 and 2017 found few sound studies and mixed, mostly correlational results.
Evidence: Gee, Mueller and Curl, 2017