Pets linked to maintaining better mental health and reducing loneliness during lockdown, new research shows

Sharing a home with a pet appeared to act as a buffer against psychological stress during lockdown, a new survey shows.

The study—from the University of York and the University of Lincoln—found that having a pet was linked to maintaining better mental health and reducing loneliness. Around 90 percent of the 6,000 participants who were from the UK had at least one pet. The strength of the human-animal bond did not differ significantly between species with the most common pets being cats and dogs followed by small mammals and fish.