It is already scientifically proven that pets have a positive impact on cognitive function and can counteract cognitive decline in later adulthood. But does it make a difference which pet you have? And what role does the age at which you get the pet play? Scientists from Switzerland have investigated these questions.
Feeling less lonely at home with a cat or going for a walk in the fresh air with a dog, thereby coming into contact with other people: Pet owners reduce their risk of dementia. This is shown by previous study results. Around 38 percent of Europeans own pets. Similar figures are also found among older adults aged 50 and over, who love their furry companions.
Slowing cognitive decline
The results of the study from Switzerland confirm that owning a pet is associated with slower decline – in executive functions, which in this case were assessed using a word fluency test, i.e., the ability to recall many words quickly and flexibly from memory – and in episodic memory. „Our results showed that pet owners performed better on the verbal fluency test compared to people without pets. However, when looking at immediate and delayed recall of words, pet owners had poorer results,“ the study states. „Despite the initial disadvantage, individuals with pets showed significantly slower decline in all cognitive areas compared to those without pets“ – they caught up to non-owners.
Advantages of Dog and Cat
Researchers found „remarkable differences“ between the animal species. Humans who owned dogs or cats showed a slower decline in cognitive abilities compared to humans who lived without pets. On the other hand, owning fish and birds was not associated with a slowed cognitive decline. The study cited the limited emotional support and frequent exposure to death in these animal species, due to their often shorter lifespans, as possible reasons. In addition, owning a bird could negatively affect the owner's sleep quality due to „increased noise levels.“.
„Unique cognitive stimulation“
„Our findings suggested that the positive effects of pet ownership on cognitive decline may be mainly attributable to owning cats and dogs alone, not to pet ownership in general.“ Contact and interaction with cats and dogs could potentially offer „unique cognitive stimulation.“ However, the age at which one acquires the pet does not play a role in the development of cognitive functions.
The study results suggest that owning dogs and cats could act as a protective factor, helping to slow cognitive decline and thus contributing to healthy cognitive aging. To reach this conclusion, researchers analyzed data from 16,600 people aged 50 to 99 over an 18-year period. (Evaluated from 2004 to 2022). 53.5 percent were women.
Guidelines for Healthy Aging
The group from Switzerland points out that future research should investigate the mechanisms in more detail. These findings could help in designing guidelines for healthy aging and generally inform measures such as financial support for expenses like veterinary costs or pet insurance – to make pet ownership more accessible for older adults. Another alternative would be animal-friendly housing models for seniors.
Tip for practicePets help reduce the risk of dementia, but they also represent a significant responsibility. Those who lack the financial or time capacity to get a pet, or are not yet sure if a dog or cat is truly a good fit for them, can volunteer at local animal shelters and animal welfare organizations or go for walks.
Here is the link to the study:
