This study examined whether having a companion animal influenced life goals, confidence in achieving these goals, and stress levels while performing difficult tasks. They found that having a companion animal present, or even thinking about one’s companion animal, compared to having no association made with one’s companion animal resulted in reporting more life goals, more confidence in achieving those goals, and lower blood pressure when conducting stressful tasks.

Article Abstract:

“We examined the extent to which a pet functions as an attachment figure. In Study 1, 165 pet owners performed a goal exploration task, assessing the number of life goals generated and confidence in goal attainment. In Study 2, 120 pet owners performed a distress-eliciting task while assessing blood pressure. In both studies, participants were divided into three conditions: pet physical presence, pet cognitive presence, and no pet presence. As compared to no pet presence, physical or cognitive pet presence increased the number of life goals generated and self-confidence in goal attainment and reduced blood pressure during the distress-eliciting task. The findings confirm the ability of a pet to provide a safe-haven and a secure-base and the moderating role of attachment insecurities.”