Locked-down Hungarians who gained or lost pets saw almost no lasting shift in mood or loneliness during the Covid-19 pandemic lockdowns, according to researchers, and new dog owners actually felt less calm and satisfied over time – hinting that the storied “pet effect” may be more myth than mental health remedy, even in extreme isolation, and challenging the belief in a universal “pet effect” on human well-being.
Using data collected during the lockdowns, the team, from ELTE Eötvös Loránd University in Hungary, said they found no significant change in respondents’ well-being when they acquired or lost a pet in their household, their findings suggesting that, notwithstanding times of extreme isolation, human-animal bonds may not be as emotionally transformative as we like to believe.
While it has become commonplace to associate pet ownership with health and happiness for the human and the animal, science has had a hard time pinning down the “pet effect” – a hypothesised boost in life quality for those who surround themselves with cats, dogs, or other companion animals.
During the pandemic, circumstances presented us with a severe test of the importance of human-animal bonds, when people were confined to their homes, cutting them off from face-to-face contact in both work and personal life. The researchers examined how pet acquisition and loss were experienced during this time and the short- and long-term effects of acquiring a pet on the participants, publishing their findings in Scientific Reports.
“Through a collaboration with a psychologist team led by Zsolt Demetrovics and Róbert Urbán, we had access to a unique data set,” said Eniko Kubinyi, head of the MTA-ELTE ‘Momentum’ Companion Animals Research Group.
“During the 2020 Covid-19 lockdowns, almost 3 000 people across Hungary participated three times in data collection, several months apart. We noticed that 65 people acquired a pet and 75 lost one during the study, and investigated how their well-being changed over time.”
The researchers found little support for the romanticised view we hold of pet owners and their emotional well-being.
A short-lived boost in cheerfulness appeared after acquiring a dog, however, in the long run, dog owners’ calmness, life-satisfaction, cheerfulness, and activity had gone down. Most surprisingly, the researchers found that losing a pet did not leave a mark on the well-being of their former owners.
Ádám Miklósi, who initiated the data collection on companion animals, said: “We rarely have access to data that document spontaneous pet acquisition from people unbiased in their attitude toward pet ownership. Usually, pet lovers are identified and studied when the decision to adopt an animal is already settled.
“It appears that, at least during stressful periods, the average person, who may not be the primary caregiver but simply shares a household with the pet, is not significantly affected by the pet’s loss, nor is their well-being a strong predictor of the decision to acquire one.”
“What surprised me most,” said Judit Mokos, data scientist and one of the paper’s first authors, “was that a new pet in the household had no effect on the respondents’ loneliness.
“Dog adoption is often promoted as a solution for elderly and/or lonely people. Shelters and pet food companies promote adoption as a means of alleviating loneliness. However, our research suggests that dogs do not provide a real solution to loneliness; rather, they make the new owners more anxious.”
Kubinyi concluded that based on the data, most people, living with a companion animal, do not seem to experience any long-term ‘pet effect’, nor do they bond strongly with their animal.
“It is possible that the dynamics of the pandemic have led many to make impulsive choices against their long-term interest, or that only certain groups, like devoted animal lovers or older adults living alone, truly benefit from pets in stressful times.”
Among the limitations noted to the study were that it was confined to a Hungarian population during the pandemic, limiting its generalisability to other countries, cultures, or non-crisis contexts. Sociocultural attitudes toward pets vary widely, which may significantly influence well-being outcomes. Also, participants were not selected for being pet lovers or committed adopters. The sample may include many first-time or impulsive pet owners, who may not derive the same emotional benefits as long-time or devoted animal guardians.
Study details
Short-term effects of pet acquisition and loss on well-being in an unbiased sample during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Judit Mokos, Eniko Kubinyi, Dorottya Ujfalussy et al.
Published in Scientific Reports on 1 July 2025
Abstract
Research on the impact of pet ownership on well-being has produced mixed results, often influenced by a focus on pet enthusiasts. To address this bias, we conducted a longitudinal study in Hungary using a stratified random sample based on gender, age, education, and settlement type. Unlike previous studies, our participants were not particularly devoted to pets and were not necessarily the primary caretakers, offering a more balanced perspective on how pet acquisition affects well-being. Among the 2 783 respondents who participated three times in data collection, 65 acquired a pet, and 75 lost a pet during the Covid-19 pandemic. Pet acquisition initially increased cheerfulness, but this effect was short-lived, lasting only one–four months. Over a longer period (up to six months), pet acquisition – particularly dog acquisition – was linked to declines in calmness, activity, cheerfulness, and life satisfaction. Importantly, neither mental nor physical well-being was linked to future pet acquisition, and losing a pet had no significant effect on well-being. These findings challenge the widely held belief that pet acquisition leads to lasting improvements in well-being, suggesting instead that the demands of pet care – especially for dogs – can outweigh initial benefits. Moreover, the results underscore the context-dependent nature of the human-animal bond. The stress and uncertainty of a global crisis may alter the typical emotional and psychological benefits of pet ownership.
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