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Inside This Issue
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A Journey Through the Night Sky
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The Wild History of the Wild West’s Stump Houses
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Mohs and Miracles
Wrinkle Wisdom
Summer Chickpea Salad
Why Pets Beat Pay Raises
New Study Says Pets Are Worth Plenty The $100K Reason to Get a Pet
Most pet owners already know their furry friends make life better, but according to a new study, the value might be higher than anyone realized. Some researchers say it’s close to $100,000. Researchers in the U.K. aimed to measure how much happiness dogs and cats bring to people’s lives. Using data from more than 700 people, they found that owning a pet can boost life satisfaction as much as getting married or landing a massive raise. In economic terms, it’s the emotional equivalent of earning nearly $93,000 more per year. To determine whether pets actually improve happiness, rather than the opposite — happy people are more likely to have pets — the team factored in things like age, income, personality traits, and family size. They also used a clever workaround: They asked people whether they look after their neighbor’s house while they’re away. That behavior is linked to pet ownership but not directly to happiness, which helped researchers isolate the impact of pet ownership.
loneliness and lift people’s moods, it might make sense to rethink rules that prevent pet ownership in some apartments and assisted living facilities.
While the researchers focused only on cats and dogs, the message came through clearly. Pets matter, maybe even more than we thought. And if you already live with one and know how they benefit your well-being, the science now backs you up. That wagging tail or soft purr might be worth more than you ever guessed.
It’s not just a fun fact, either. Experts say findings like this could affect everything from housing laws to public health programs. If pets fight
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