Also known as: animal-assisted therapy, pet therapy, companion animals
Latest evidence update: 2026-03-12
Strongest in Consistency (95). Held back by Recency (36).
Solid mix of RCTs with some methodological gaps.
Good cross-study replication, some imprecision.
Thousands of participants across the literature.
Studies agree on direction of effect.
Evidence base skews older; field may have moved on.
Areas where research points to a consistent direction of effect. The strength of evidence is graded; the size of the effect is not quantified.
Interacting with pets increases oxytocin, decreases cortisol, and lowers blood pressure. Dog owners have significantly lower cardiovascular mortality. The human-animal bond activates the same neural pathways as human social bonding.
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Animal-assisted therapy shows no significant effect on positive symptoms in patients with psychotic disorders.
Animal-assisted therapy lowers systolic blood pressure in hospitalized children and teenagers compared to control conditions.
Pet therapy reduces self-reported stress compared to baseline.
Dog-assisted integrative psychological therapy can increase social network size in patients with psychosis.
Animal-assisted therapy sessions significantly reduced cortisol levels in adults with autism spectrum disorder during acute exposure.