Empathetic Differences in Adults as a Function of Childhood and Adult Pet Ownership and Pet Type

Higher empathy levels were found among adults who had dogs and/or cats. Those who had only dogs showed lower levels of personal distress than those who had neither pet. In addition, those who previously had dogs were rated higher on social skills than both the neither-group and the cat-only group.

Among those who had companion animals as children, the dog-only and dog-and-cat group scored lower on the personal distress and higher on the social skills scale. According to the authors, "The findings support research linking companion animals with empathic development. They warrant the continued exploration of the nature of empathic development (i.e., nature vs. nurture) and contribute to the increasing research field exploring the value of companion animals."