Study Reveals: Dogs Rank Above Adults in Personal Connections, Only Surpassed by Kids

In a nutshell

• Dogs surpass most human relationships when it comes to providing satisfaction and support. Pet parents noted increased emotional satisfaction, enhanced camaraderie, and reduced disputes with their dogs compared to those they have with family members, significant others, or buddies. The only relationship that provided similar advantages was the bond between parent and child.
• The connection between a dog and its owner most closely resembles that of a parent and child. It blends intense fondness and care with little disagreement, free from the usual emotional burdens typically seen in interpersonal relationships.
• Dogs don't take the place of human relationships; they enhance them. Individuals who maintained robust interpersonal relationships were often found to share deep ties with their dogs as well, indicating that our furry friends augment, instead of replace, our social interactions.

BUDAPEST, Hungary — Your dog doesn't judge your decisions, engage in political debates, or bear grievances, which could be why people often feel more contentment in their connection with dogs compared to most of the humans in their lives. According to research conducted by scientists from Hungary, individuals tend to report higher levels of satisfaction in their bonds with their pets than with family members or friends, though parental ties stand as an exception, offering similar degrees of happiness.

This goes beyond mere warm fuzzy feelings. The study, published in Scientific Reports , indicates that dog owners stated they received greater support from their four-legged friends than from all but one type of human connection—parental bonds. Additionally, these owners faced fewer adverse exchanges with their pets when contrasted with most interpersonal connections.

The Science Underlying the Bond Between Dogs and Humans

What makes dog relationships So what makes them so special? Researchers say it all comes down to three main elements: strong companionship, chances for caregiving, and little to no conflict.

The researchers point out that dog-human relationships possess a significantly imbalanced power structure compared to human-to-human interactions, where owners hold the main authority over their dogs' existence. Due to this uneven relationship, dogs generally do not partake in actions that would lead to conflicts as seen between humans. human relationships .

The researchers aimed to comprehend precisely how dogs integrate into our lives. social networks Although earlier research had confirmed that many Western dog owners view their pets as part of the family, this particular study adopted an advanced methodology by analyzing these bonds through 13 distinct dimensions.

Participants evaluated their connections with their dogs and four human associates—including their closest family member—on a relational basis. romantic partner , close companion, and offspring—utilizing metrics such as camaraderie, disagreement, care, and contentment.

The Comparison Between Dog Relationships and Human Connections

Dogs surpassed human relatives and friends when measured for showing affection, forming a dependable alliance, providing emotional validation, and offering company. Romantic partners were superior to dogs in just one aspect: intimacy Meanwhile, dogs received lower scores in negative interaction categories such as conflict and antagonism compared to all types of human relationships with one exception: friendships.

Upon analyzing all relationship patterns, researchers found out that the dog-human bond closely mirrors the parent-child dynamic yet features fewer adverse exchanges.

The findings emphasize that dogs hold a distinctive position in our social sphere—providing the emotional intimacy of a child alongside the simplicity of a companion. best friend "and the predictability of relationships influenced by human management—which explains why these connections can be profoundly satisfying," states study author Enikő Kubinyi from ELTE Eötvös Loránd University in a release.

People do not simply acquire dogs as substitutes for inadequate human connections. Individuals who enjoy healthy human interactions often exhibit strong bonds with their canine companions, indicating that these pets enhance instead of replace those relationships. human connections .

“We expected that people with weak human relationships Instead of depending more on their dogs for support, our findings show otherwise," explains study author Dorottya Ujfalussy from ELTE Eötvös Loránd University. "Within our sample, individuals didn’t appear to turn to dogs as a way to make up for inadequate support in their human interactions.

Elements That Shape Our Connections with Canines

Owning offspring altered somewhat how others perceived their pets. Parents ranked their dogs lower for companionship and affection compared to non-parents, although most of the other evaluations were about the same.

“Dogs offer different kinds of emotional and social support depending on the needs of their owners,” explains study author Borbála Turcsán from ELTE Eötvös Loránd University. “Some people seek companionship and fun, others need trust and stability, and some simply enjoy having someone to care for.”

Instead of placing dog-owner relationships By categorizing subjects into traditional labels often employed in similar investigations—such as "family member" or "pet"—this study more accurately reflects its intricacies. Dogs offer an uncommon element within interpersonal connections these days: dependable positive engagements devoid of critical or contentious overtones. These animals aren't merely pets; they serve as genuine relational counterparts meeting significant emotional requirements. The next instance when somebody remarks "it's only a dog," scientific evidence empowers you to contest this statement.

Paper Summary

Methodology

In this research, the Network of Relationships Inventory questionnaire was utilized to gather information from 717 individuals, mostly women (90%) averaging around 35 years old. These participants assessed their connections with their canine companions as well as four significant humans—namely closest family members, romantic partners, close friends, and children—across thirteen dimensions such as companionship, practical support, emotional closeness, nurturing behavior, fondness, validation, dependable teamwork, disagreements, rivalry, contentment, and hierarchical dynamics. Information collection occurred during two distinct timeframes: 2011 through 2013 and again between 2022 and 2023. Initially, the team confirmed that the same relational metrics were suitable for assessing bonds involving people and those involving dogs via factor analysis techniques before contrasting these evaluations through matched pair analyses.

Results

The research revealed that pet owners viewed their interactions with dogs more favorably compared to those with many human counterparts when measured through various positive metrics such as companionship, care-giving, fondness, and validation. On measures involving adverse exchanges—like disputes and hostility—dogs scored below humans. Generally speaking, the evaluations for dogs mirrored those given to offspring, making the connection type most akin to the parent-child dynamic. These assessments displayed little fluctuation influenced by elements like owning kids, the age of the owner, or even the age of the canine companion, implying these bonds stay relatively stable throughout varying phases of one’s life. The team discovered a positive correlation between individuals’ views on both pets and interpersonal relations, which suggests that canines enhance instead of replace social ties among people.

Limitations

The research recognizes various constraints. It mainly involved females (90%), who may have been those with favorable interactions with their pets, thus perhaps presenting too rosy a view. Additionally, the number of respondents evaluating connections with kids was much lower than for other types of bonds, which could lead to skewed outcomes. Using subjectively answered questionnaires invites doubt regarding how individuals perceive measurement scales across species; this discrepancy might elevate scores related to canine companionship. Furthermore, the investigators point out that applying the Reassurance of Worth scale yielded inconsistent data concerning pet dogs.

Funding and Disclosures

The project was funded by the Hungarian Academy of Sciences through a grant awarded to the MTA-ELTE 'Lendület/Momentum' Companion Animal Research Group as part of the National Brain Programme 3.0. The authors stated they had no competing interests.

Publication Information

The study titled "Similarities and Differences Between Dog-Human and Human-Human Relationships" was written by Borbála Turcsán, Dorottya Júlia Ujfalussy, Andrea Kerepesi, Ádám Miklósi, and Enikő Kubinyi, and appeared in publication. Scientific Reports (2025, vol. 15, no. 11871). This research took place at the Department of Ethology within ELTE Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest, Hungary.