Whenever pets show up in our lives—whether in person, in videos, or even as memes—it’s hard not to smile. They might not replace the feeling of having them right next to us, but they still give us those happy little bursts of laughter and “aww” moments.
Offline or online, pets are the kind of companions that make being human feel a little bit easier.
But why exactly are we so attached to them? What is it about animals that makes us fall so deeply in love?
According to Jason N. Linder, Psy.D., LMFT, writing for Psychology Today, one of the biggest reasons is that “pets attend potently to our brain’s social circuitry.”
From birth, we’re wired to need attachments, and pets can fill that role when human connection feels out of reach. In fact, research during the pandemic showed that pet owners reported less depression and more positivity compared to those without animals at home.
This makes sense, Linder explains, because our ability to feel secure and balanced often depends on the strength of our bonds with others.
Pets excel here: they have a way of making us feel seen and valued without needing words. And that simple recognition can do wonders for our self-esteem.
Another reason we cherish them so much is their purity. As Linder points out, pets don’t have ulterior motives: “They won’t try to get something from you (besides love, attention, play, time outside, or food) or gaslight you.”
“They won’t ever abandon you to go to their friend’s party instead of spending time with you,” he adds. “They won’t pursue an affair; you’re everything to them, and they’re fiercely, unwaveringly loyal, as long as you treat them decently (and often even if you don’t: but please treat them well anyway, they deserve it!).
That unwavering loyalty and unconditional affection can be life-changing, especially for people healing from trauma or loneliness. Pets remind us that connection doesn’t have to be complicated, it can be as simple as a purr or a paw resting on your lap.
Research continues to confirm what pet owners have always felt.
According to the BBC, a 2022 study at Queen’s University Belfast found that dogs could detect human stress simply by smelling sweat and breath samples, correctly identifying the stressed ones nearly 94% of the time.
It shows how incredibly tuned in they are to us, able to pick up on pressure and tension in ways we might not even realize ourselves.
This kind of sensitivity makes animals uniquely intuitive companions. They tune into emotions in a way that often feels deeper than human relationships.
Researchers even have a term for studying the human-animal bond: anthrozoology.
And one other idea that could explain why our love for pets runs so deep is social recognition, the human ability to identify someone or something as important to us.
In this case, of course, it applies to pets. For us, they’re pretty much our family members.
