The surprising benefit of family pets

Plus: trends in empathy and declining support for a U.S. TikTok ban

It’s January, and nothing says happy new year like Anderson Cooper losing it over a cat cafe, and also, a good, old-fashioned research roundup. This week we’ve got new studies on:

• The surprising benefit of family pet ownership

• Trends in empathy among young people in the U.S.

• Declining support for a U.S. TikTok ban

Let’s dive in!

1. The surprising benefit of a family pet

So, we already know from prior studies that pets confer a number of benefits for kids, from learning responsibility to decreasing stress. But might pets affect parents’ behavior, too?

This study observed 123 parents interacting with their children (ages 1-5) in the presence of either (1) a pet dog, or (2) a “lifelike toy” (doll, stuffed animal). When in the presence of their pet, parents talked to their children more about emotions and mental states (e.g., The dog loves his toy! Do you think the dog is hungry?), which may have long-term benefits for children’s positive development.

My take: Pets promoting family conversations about feelings and perspective-taking?! How cool! Growing up, my family had a cat (“Peanut”) who used to hiss, scratch, and chase my younger sisters around the house until they cried. So, honestly, this study was somewhat healing for me. Developmental Psychology.

My dog nephew, Rudy, looking very distinguished and ready to talk about feelings.

2. What’s happening to empathy over time?

If I were to ask you whether young people have become more or less empathetic over time, what would you say?