--- description: Dog owners experience a wide range of health benefits. Via Richard Wiseman’s excellent book 59 Seconds: Change Your Life in Under a Minute: After carefully... title: The Science Behind Why Dogs Might Just Be Man’s Best Friend image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt77afc1f2fa87095b/698779e85f570f6f2eb14b49/dog.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Ideas](/section/ideas/) ## Ideas Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Psychology](/tag/psychology/) ## Psychology Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # The Science Behind Why Dogs Might Just Be Man’s Best Friend by [Eric Barker](/author/eric-barker/) ## Eric Barker Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jan 15, 2015 5:01 AM CUT  Dog in lying in grass sleeping Dog in lying in grass sleepingGetty Images by [Eric Barker](/author/eric-barker/) ## Eric Barker Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jan 15, 2015 5:01 AM CUT Dog owners experience a wide range of health benefits. Via Richard Wiseman’s excellent book [59 Seconds: Change Your Life in Under a Minute](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0307474860/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=spacforrent-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217153&creative=399349&creativeASIN=0307474860 "undefined"): --- > “” --- In fact, they’re more health promoting than a spouse is. Via [59 Seconds: Change Your Life in Under a Minute](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0307474860/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=spacforrent-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217153&creative=399349&creativeASIN=0307474860 "undefined"): --- > “” --- And this isn’t true for cat owners. Via [59 Seconds: Change Your Life in Under a Minute](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0307474860/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=spacforrent-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217153&creative=399349&creativeASIN=0307474860 "undefined"): --- > “” --- And it’s causal, not correlative. Via [59 Seconds: Change Your Life in Under a Minute](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0307474860/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=spacforrent-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217153&creative=399349&creativeASIN=0307474860 "undefined"): --- > “” --- **_This piece originally appeared on_** [**_Barking Up the Wrong Tree_**](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/02/are-dogs-mans-best-friend/ "undefined")**_._** **Join over 151,000 readers.** Get a free weekly update via email [here](http://eepurl.com/o6uAD "undefined"). Related posts: [5 things you didn’t know about pets](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/5-things-you-didnt-know-about-pets "undefined") [Can people distinguish pâté from dog food?](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/can-people-distinguish-pate-from-dog-food "undefined") [Are there personality differences between “dog people” and “cat people”?](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/are-there-personality-differences-between-dog "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3667968/why-dog-man-best-friend/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3667968/why-dog-man-best-friend/"},"headline":"The Science Behind Why Dogs Might Just Be Man’s Best Friend","datePublished":"2015-01-15T05:01:38.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-31T08:07:53.861Z","description":"Dog owners experience a wide range of health benefits. 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