Study: Pets Don't Relieve Acute Stress and May Even Increase It

A new scientific study challenges the widespread belief that pets help reduce stress. While dogs and cats make daily life more enjoyable, they cannot prevent acute stress. More surprisingly, petting a cat during a stressful moment may actually worsen one's mood.

Many people believe that petting or holding a pet helps ease tension, but a new study challenges this assumption. According to the researchers' conclusions, dogs and cats cannot actually relieve acute stress, though their everyday impact on wellbeing is positive.

An Unexpected Finding from the Study

The study reveals that while pets make their owners' daily lives more joyful and improve overall mood, this effect does not apply in stressful situations. Moreover, during a moment of intense stress, holding or petting a cat may actually deepen one's distress rather than improve it.

This result contradicts the popular belief that pets are a kind of natural stress remedy. In reality, their wellbeing factor is more long-term and general rather than immediate and acute.

What Does This Mean for Pet Owners?

Experts emphasize that pets remain valued companions and their positive impact on human quality of life is scientifically proven. However, they should not be treated as a quick fix for acute stress. More effective relief in such situations comes from other methods, such as breathing exercises, physical activity, or reaching out to one's support network.