Overview
- Recent coverage in mid-June synthesizes peer-reviewed studies and surveys showing that millions who sleep with dogs or cats often do so for a sense of calm and acceptance rather than only from loneliness.
- A high-profile study in Science found that mutual gaze, close contact and shared routines between people and dogs raise oxytocin levels in both species, a hormone tied to bonding and calm.
- Researchers at the University of Edinburgh published in Frontiers in Psychiatry concluded that pet proximity helps regulate negative emotions, lowers anxiety and stabilizes mood for many owners.
- A HABRI survey reported that people who sleep with their pets say they feel more relaxed, safer and happier, though experts note pets can sometimes disturb sleep or carry germs.
- Specialists warn that pet closeness provides a low‑demand form of emotional support that complements but does not replace complex human relationships and that much evidence is observational or self‑reported.