A study in Social Indicators Research, a leading source on quality of life, found that pets are associated with better health and higher life satisfaction.
The study found that having a pet increases life satisfaction by 3 to 4 points on a scale of 1 to 7. As if that wasn’t strong enough proof of the benefits of pets to their owners, the researchers estimated the impact of pets on quality of life in monetary units: “We find that having a pet companion is worth up to £70,000 a year in terms of life satisfaction.” That’s approximately $93,000 in U.S. dollars.ν
Gmeiner, M.W., Gschwandtner, A. The Value of Pets: The Quantifiable Impact of Pets on Life Satisfaction. Soc Indic Res (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-025-03574-1
