Dogs are not merely “fur baby” or best friend, but a blend of both, researchers found in a study that emphasizes the special status of pets.
This study suggests that owners rate their relationship with dogs as more satisfying or satisfying than their closest relationships. However, researchers have not found that owner-dog bonds are strong in people with weak relationships.
“Our results showed that [the bond] Borbála Turcsán, the first author of a study at Eötvös Loránd University in Hungary, said:
I wrote in the journal Scientific ReportsThe team explained how they used social media to recruit 717 dog owners in two periods, from April 2011 to February 2013 and from January 2022 to December 2023.
They were asked to rate their relationships with pets, children, romantic partners, closest relatives and best friends on 13 characteristics, including peers, intimacy, reliability, satisfaction, and power balance.
Participants were asked how often they were protected, how often they were looking for individuals, they had a good time with them, they found out that individuals were on their nerves, and that they were still in the relationship and who were more dominant.
The team found that owners appreciated the dog for dating and needed more nurturing than best friends, best friends, or romantic partners, but there was less negative interaction with the dog than their child, romantic partner, or closest relative.
The owner also rated the dog more than his best friend, and rated the closest relatives in areas such as affection, reliability, and support. But when it comes to intimacy, the romantic partner won over the dog.
And they reported greater relationship satisfaction with their dog than their closest best friends or best friends. When bonds were judged against bonds with romantic partners and children, there was little difference in satisfaction.
However, in terms of power, the owner’s relationship with the dog showed the greatest imbalance. Researchers noted that although children were raised to become independent adults, dogs need to require continuous guidance and supervision.
“Dogs offer very positive relationships with minimal conflict, strong social support and unique opportunities to fully control the lives of other organisms,” said Enik Kubini, senior author of the study.
Turcsán said that although the relationship between dogs and owners is most similar to that between children and parents, a key feature, apart from the asymmetry of power, is that dogs have much lower levels of conflict and conflict with their owner compared to children, and that the team resembles the best friendship.
Although the study has limitations, including participants being self-selective, the researchers said it emphasized the flexibility of the role played by dogs.
“The dog is the most important source of social support for the kids, a good flatmate, a good friend of a young single, a surrogate child for a young couple, a sibling figure when the child arrives, a grandchild of an evil sky parent, and perhaps the most important source of social support for the elderly living alone,” Kubinyi said.
Turcsán agreed.
