Correlation does not imply causation.
this post was submitted on 03 Mar 2026
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It does when it confirms my biases!
From a mental health POV, having dogs has definitely helped me maintain routine, reduce emotional escalation and kept me aware of how I am accountable to keep them going too.
Sometimes you can get so stuck in your ways, thinking in the moment you need to panic to survive. It takes a cute animal reacting to that to make you realise there's other ways to be.
tl;dr - Dogs teach us to be better people.
I expect the causality goes both ways, for example maybe you wouldn't consider having a dog because your stressful job takes up too much of your time, or you don't have the money to pay for dog food and vet bills, or you live in a tiny apartment in the city and it would be cruel to keep a dog there, or you don't have the time or energy to take a dog on walks, or you just don't like going on walks or you're afraid to go outside, or you can't cope with raising a dog because of some health issue, or you have terminal cancer. In which case it's the dog-incompatible situation that's the issue rather than lack of dog.
There was a study a while back that associated grip strength with one’s grip on sanity, and many people confused the cause. If someone has something to do, they’ll have stronger hands. If they have a healthy diet that supports their physique, they’ll have stronger hands. If they lack a debilitating injury or disability, they’ll have stronger hands. If they have ambient time to devote to exercise, they’ll have stronger hands.
Unequivocally do I love my dog, but I try to avoid conflating associated privileges with results.
Just riffing off the headline here, but owning a dog is directly associated with engaging in the act of walking a dog, and walking is pretty well established to be good for overall health. There's no reason to assume there isn't causation when there very well could be
There genuinely might be something to it, but this strikes me as another “wine is healthy, ignore the healthcare and self care culture behind the European curtain” type situation. Until something more concrete comes out, I’m just gonna pet my pal for fun and stress relief and monke brain grooming instinct alleviation.
Is having a cat associated with a higher risk?
Depends on its mood and the day, really.
People who drink wine live longer.
It's not the wine that's extending people's lives, it's the healthcare and lower stress from having enough money to afford wine.
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Does this dog buff stack? If I get 5 dogs, wil? I have a ~100 % immunity for the next ten years? Is there a cooldown? /j
5x 24 = 120. You're not just immortal for the next 10 years, you have 1 in 5 chance to revive the death as well.
What if someone else on the list dies before my designated time. Does the list reset?
Behold I am the great immortal and moderately effective necromancer. Fear the power of dogs!
Does the size of dog affect the buff? The average dog gives 24%, but does a 200lbs mastiff give more than a 4lbs chihuahua? Less?
From events over the last few weeks, I can definitively state that owning a dog large enough to drag you down icy steps is NOT conducive to longer life and can be quite painful
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I bet it’s a mix of walking more and them making you happier.
I bet is all the assassins the dog repeal everyday without the owner knowing
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Yeah, as the other comment says, these are almost always correlations, not causations. Poor people are almost certainly less likely to own a dog. I'm sure the exercise helps, but I'd bet on it not being the largest factor.
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walking dogs is good exercise.
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dogs are excellent security and help reduce certain anxieties.
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walking an invisible, imaginary dog probably has the same health benefits as a real dog for most people.
It's really hard to pick up the invisible imaginary poop though.
I find it pretty easy. I never see any lying around that I've missed.
I bet ghosts hate you though.
Plus walking a dog in your neighborhood probably results in increased social interaction and less isolation, probably a plus for long-term health too.
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Waking up early and going on walks is good for your health
People likely to die in 10 years probably don't often choose to adopt dogs.
I'm not so confident. My grandma got a dog to fill the hole in her life left by my grandpa's death. Nine years later I inherited a dog. (TBH, she was already on the deep slide into dementia when Grandpa died and losing her partner of 5 decades didn't help.)
What I'm saying is old folks sometimes do things we wouldn't expect.
People are unlikely to get a dog if they expect to die soon, or are generally unhealthy and unable to walk it which is also more likely if you are going to die within 10 years.
My doctor was very glad when I adopted a new dog after mine had died 18 months before. I have a good doctor.
So if I had 5 dogs, does that mean my risk of dying falls to -20% making me immortal? 🤔
Presumably (if this worked this way at all) it'd be multiplicitive, not additive. Each one decreases your risk by a relative 24%. The first makes it 86%, the second makes it 74%, the third makes it 64%, etc. You get diminishing returns for each dog you add.
Hello, dog store? Can I please get one thousand of your fines dogs?
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