New insights from a long-term study indicate that owning a pet may slow brain decline in adults aged 51 and older, with findings published in Scientific Reports. The research team analyzed data from a substantial group of participants to explore how pet ownership relates to cognitive aging over time.
Data were drawn from 637 participants of the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (BLSA) who ranged from ages 51 to 101, with an average age around 75. Participants were observed for periods spanning one year to as long as 13 years. In the oldest cohort, testing occurred annually, while younger participants completed cognitive assessments roughly every four years. About 29 percent of the cohort reported having a cat, dog, or another type of pet in their household.
Across the entire sample, cognitive performance declined with advancing age. However, the researchers found that the rate of decline was slower among pet owners, even after adjusting for other health and lifestyle factors. The protective effect appeared across multiple cognitive domains, suggesting a broad association between pet ownership and preserved cognitive function in later life.
Specifically, the study noted that memory, executive function, language skills, psychomotor abilities, and processing speed showed less impairment over a decade among participants who kept pets. The most pronounced benefit emerged among dog owners, particularly those who regularly walked their dogs, hinting at the potential added impact of daily physical activity and social engagement associated with dog care.
While these results are encouraging, the researchers emphasize that the work does not prove causation. Pet ownership could be linked to other everyday factors that support cognitive health, such as increased physical activity, routine social interaction, or greater overall daily structure. The team calls for further studies to investigate the mechanisms behind this association and to determine how pet-related activities might be integrated into broader strategies for healthy aging. The findings align with a growing body of literature suggesting that lifestyle choices, social connections, and environmental enrichment can influence cognitive trajectories in older adults. Publications and data from this study are attributed to the authors and institutions involved in the BLSA project, with full details available in the paper published in Scientific Reports [citation].
Researchers also noted that while the overall pattern favored pet ownership, nuances exist. For instance, the memory domain appeared particularly sensitive to the type and amount of pet interaction, while some language outcomes showed smaller or more variable benefits among different subgroups. The authors stress that individual experiences with pets vary, and the presence of a companion animal alone is not a guaranteed safeguard against cognitive decline. Nonetheless, the study contributes to an evolving conversation about how everyday environments and routines may support brain health as people age. Ongoing work aims to clarify which aspects of pet ownership—emotional support, physical activity, or social engagement—most strongly correlate with preserved cognitive function across diverse populations [citation].