Pet ownership is good for our cognitive health as we age​​

Pet ownership has the potential to contribute to the maintenance of cognitive function within the psychological realm and thus promote successful aging.

The longest running scientific study of aging in humans provides important longitudinal evidence for the contribution of pet ownership to the maintenance of cognitive function in generally health community-residing older adults as they age.

Older adult pet owners experienced less decline in cognitive function as they aged. Memory, executive function, language function, psychomotor speed, and processing speed deteriorated less over ten years among pet owners than among non-owners and among dog owners than non-owners.

Dog walking also was associated with slower deterioration in cognitive function. Explanations for the effects reported include decreased stress, increased relaxation/affiliation, increasing external focus for attention, and inhibition of irrelevant thoughts; definitive answers require additional investigation.

Cat owners experienced less deterioration in memory and language function.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-41813-y(open in new tab)