ABSTRACT
The well-being of people plays a significant part in their healthy development, and plenty of evidence has shown the association between pet ownership and human well-being. This article explores the impact of pet companionship on people's well-being from a comprehensive level. Although the practical and conclusive causal relationship could not be drawn from current research, evidence that suggests that pet companionship facilitates human well-being has been supportive. First, real pets will be mentioned for the influences on physical and mental well-being in relatively daily and COVID-19 lockdown circumstances. The summary of certain similar and opposite effects of pet interaction in different situations is discussed, before analyzing theoretical model to elaborate on the combination benefits from physical, mental, and social aspects brought about by pet ownership toward human well-being. Virtual pets’ effect on physical and mental well-being also presents in the later section, with the application in the medical field. The comparison of real pets and virtual pets is displayed from three perspectives, which include group differences among pet owners, differences in pet traits, and differences in pet-owner relationships. This literature review shows the belief that both real pets and virtual pet interactions offer merits for human well-being that outweigh their limitations, and further experiments with different and profound perspectives should continue exploration in the future.
