Latest news with #EnikőKubinyi
Forbes
3 days ago
- General
- Forbes
Are Pets Replacing Children In Today's Families? A Psychologist Explains
As birth rates drop, more and more people are choosing pet parenting over child rearing. Here's why ... More it feels just as rewarding to them. Birth and fertility rates are falling in nearly every country. In the 1950s, women had an average of 4.9 children in their lifetime. But since 2023, statistics indicate that this number has dropped, by more than half, to a mere 2.3. For many, traditional parenthood is no longer a mandatory milestone. It's now a choice that is often deferred or declined altogether. Meanwhile, as more people move away from having children, many are turning instead to pet ownership to fill that space. Dogs, cats and other companion animals are increasingly being regarded as central members of the household. They are loved, cared for and deeply integrated into familial routines; they are no longer considered as 'just pets.' A May 2025 study published in European Psychologist sought to examine this novel norm, as well as what makes it so compelling to today's child-free couples. Led by researchers Laura Gillet and Enikő Kubinyi, the study uncovered various reasons why many couples find raising pets — particularly dogs — just as meaningful as raising children. Here's a breakdown of their three key findings. Gillet and Kubinyi suggest that the emotional bond between a human and their dog may mirror the attachment between a parent and child in many ways — beyond the extent of mere resemblance. Perhaps the most influential tool for studying attachment is Mary Ainsworth's Strange Situation Procedure (SSP). It involves placing an infant in a room with their primary caregiver, and then bringing a stranger into the room. The caregiver then leaves, only to return after around 10–15 minutes. The way the child responds in this brief period of time (by crying, clinging, exploring or calming down quickly) offers observers invaluable insights into the security of the child's attachment style. Remarkably, dogs have shown similar patterns when placed in an adapted version of the SSP. Gillet and Kubinyi highlight that dogs, too, tend to become more playful, explorative and relaxed in the presence of their owners. They also tend to grow more anxious or withdrawn when separated from them. As the authors note, dogs often perceive their humans as a 'safe haven' in the same way children do — a term lifted straight from attachment theory to describe the emotional security provided by a trusted figure. Beyond comforting the dog, this kind of bonding also triggers the caregiving system embedded intrinsically within humans. For many, their attachment to their pet (and feeling as though that attachment is reciprocal) can be incredibly rewarding. In many ways, the sense of being needed, trusted and appreciated scratches the same psychological itch as traditional parent–child relationships. The 2025 study also notes that attachment doesn't operate in a vacuum. Every strong bond, be it between a parent and child or a person and their dog, activates an underlying caregiving system. That system, Gillet and Kubinyi argue, is shaped by the consistent behavioral patterns we know as 'parenting styles.' In fact, their literature review suggests that many dog owners naturally fall into parenting patterns that largely mirror those of actual parents: permissive, authoritarian or authoritative. They develop routines. They establish boundaries. They adapt their responses to fit the temperament of their dog. They even learn to interpret their dogs' whining, barking or subtle shifts in behavior. In other words, they come to know their pet in much the same way a parent comes to know their baby. At the same time, pet parenting is likely also perceived as lower-stakes. As psychological researcher Małgorzata Szcześniak explained to me in a recent interview, 'We live in a world where an increase in the standard of living does not mean a linear increase in its perceived quality.' As such, she argues, 'These factors may translate into more people postponing parenthood.' In her research on the role of future anxiety in delayed parenthood, Szcześniak points to growing economic uncertainty, political instability, climate change and global conflict as key drivers of anxiety in potential parents. Many people today feel unsure whether simply being a good parent is enough to protect a child from the challenges that lie ahead. Pets, in contrast, can be sheltered far more easily from those threats. They don't need to go out and navigate the world alone. They don't need college funds, social media accounts or protection from the existential weight of adulthood. For many couples, this reduced risk — coupled with the many emotional rewards of caregiving — makes pet parenting a valid way to fulfill our deep, evolutionary drives without the immense responsibility of raising a child in an increasingly uncertain world. Beyond emotional bonding and caregiving behavior, Gillet and Kubinyi highlight the fact that dogs are remarkably intelligent — in ways that are strikingly similar to young children. Their review suggests that adult dogs possess cognitive abilities comparable to those of a 2- to 2.5-year-old child. Dogs consistently pass visible displacement tasks (where they watch an object being hidden and can successfully retrieve it). They demonstrate a firm grasp of object permanence. They can distinguish between similar shapes, colors and sizes. They're even capable of forming complex multi-sensory representations of both social beings and inanimate objects. These are some of the very same early cognitive milestones that human children reach within the first few months of life. Beyond the fact that dogs possess these cognitive abilities, they actually use them to interact with us on a daily basis. Dogs aren't smart in an abstract sense; they're emotionally intelligent, socially attuned and remarkably responsive to human behavior. Gillet and Kubinyi note that dogs often mirror our moods, respond to our tone of voice, maintain eye contact and even imitate our modelled behaviors. Many dogs can even understand up to dozens of spoken words and gestures. Their ability to integrate into human social environments so seamlessly and exceptionally well is part of what makes them such beloved companions. Watching a dog develop and become more attuned to your presence — much like children do — can be an invaluable source of pride and joy. But, in all likelihood, dogs' emotional resonance may be what makes pet parenting feel most meaningful of all. They're fiercely loyal. They're uncommonly devoted. And, most sacredly, they love us unconditionally. Do you find pet parenting a fulfilling part of your daily life? Take this science-backed test, and find out how connected you are to your (furry) little one: Pet Owner Connectedness Scale
Irish Times
01-06-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
Something has gone wrong in our culture when people opt for ‘fur babies' over real babies
Recent Hungarian research generated a slew of headlines about people choosing dogs over having children. Some went as far as to blame it for the decline in birth rates. Fortunately, the study is much more nuanced. Prof Enikő Kubinyi from Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest suggests that the relationship between rates of pet ownership and having children is complex. Dogs don't cause lower fertility. Instead, declining fertility rates may be increasing the importance of dogs in people's lives, with pets filling the emotional space left by fewer children and more fragile family networks. Kubinyi cites an intriguing statistic. If a woman raises two children instead of five, the number of same-generation relatives (siblings and cousins) is reduced, on average, from 44 to five. READ MORE Fewer family connections lead to more fragile real-life social networks. Family relationships create what sociologists call 'closed triangle' connections – situations where all members of a group know each other directly. This builds stronger, more stable social ties. These closed triangles are much less common in friendships. Somewhat ironically, dog ownership can increase the number of closed triangles, because people out walking dogs or discussing them can develop relationships based on their mutual love of pets. The Hungarian researcher is not the first to highlight change in the number of relatives. In China, the one-child policy led to the decline not only in siblings, but in cousins, aunts and uncles. There is also a serious gender imbalance in favour of male children, the so-called emperor children. The one-child policy has become self-reinforcing even though China is now desperate to reverse demographic decline. It may explain why by 2030, China's pets will outnumber children under four by a ratio of two to one. The estimate came from Goldman Sachs , which says the pet market will be worth $12 billion (€10.6 billion) by then. Urban Chinese, in particular, are opting for pets. The same Goldman Sachs report noted that in Japan, there are already 20 million pets, roughly four times the number of humans aged under four. Japan's pet food market is eight times larger than its infant formula market. Kubinyi suggests that many people do not currently experience an optimum level of social connection, leading to greater isolation, depression and loneliness. However, human beings are hard-wired to exist in small yet dense human networks. It is unsurprising, then, that humans turn to companion animals, with their capacity for unconditional love, to fill that need. Dogs are increasingly being bred to have characteristic features like human babies – big eyes, flatter faces and cute cuddliness. As someone who grew up on a farm where dogs were working animals and kept outside, I admit to being nonplussed by people's current relationships with dogs, particularly the first time I saw a dog buggy, complete with what seemed like a perfectly healthy dog being wheeled along. Dog clothes, including Halloween costumes, make me worry for the dog. And what pooch benefits from a puppucino? Pet ownership confers many benefits on humans. It is lovely to see elderly people light up when a dog is brought into a nursing home. But there is something askew in our culture when pets are expected to function either as substitutes for unconditional love, or as babies. Loyal creatures like dogs are not designed to be fur babies, a term that makes me deeply uncomfortable. Dogs are pack animals with strict hierarchies. The pack leader enforces strict boundaries and roles that allow the dog to relax. Expecting dogs to act like substitute humans is unfair to dogs and not great for human prospects, either. One thing that the Hungarian study may overlook is that while it correctly points out that the number of people who view their pets as children is small, it is likely to grow as a trend. Currently in Hungary, despite multiple pronatalist policies such as women who have four children being exempt from income tax for life , only 6.2 per cent of the population is aged under six. As family sizes shrink and childbearing is postponed, many adults do not have young children in their households or extended social networks and this becomes the norm. Anna Rotkirsch, a Finnish demographer , says that having children has moved from a rite of passage into adulthood to a 'capstone' experience – something you do after you have exhausted all the individualised pleasures, such as satisfying work and travel. But women's biology knows nothing about capstones. By the time people feel they are in the right place, or that they can afford children, women's fertility has often declined to the point where it becomes increasingly difficult to conceive. Rotkirsch also points out that it has become socially acceptable to say that you don't like children, and it's the only demographic that you can ever say that about. There is something sad about any society that does not have enough faith in the future to prioritise having children and ensure that women are not penalised for having children earlier. No amount of doggy cuddles will ameliorate the demographic catastrophe we are facing everywhere from Ireland to India.
Malay Mail
25-04-2025
- Science
- Malay Mail
Dogs: Life partners that meet (almost) all our emotional needs, says study
BUDAPEST, April 25 — Could dogs play a more important role in our emotional lives than we think? So suggests a Hungarian study published in Scientific Reports. It compares the relationships we have with our dogs with those we have with our loved ones. To carry out their research, scientists at ELTE Eötvös Loránd University in Hungary interviewed over 700 dog owners. These participants were asked to evaluate 13 dimensions of their relationship with their dog, but also with their child, their romantic partner, their closest relative and their best friend. The aim was to understand the place dogs occupy in our lives. The results are surprising, to say the least. Indeed, it seems that dogs are more than just loyal companions: they combine the qualities of a child with those of a best friend. They evoke a sense of relationship security and the need for protection or nurturing, just as a child would, while at the same time offering a harmonious, conflict-free relationship, like a deep friendship. But unlike human relationships, those with dogs are based on a clear asymmetry of power. The owner decides everything and controls the animal's environment, creating a particular dynamic that is both stable and rewarding for the human. 'The power asymmetry, having control over a living being, is a fundamental aspect of dog ownership for many,' explains senior author Enikő Kubinyi, head of the Department of Ethology at the ELTE, quoted in a news release. Another striking fact is that participants consider their relationship with their dog to be the most precious, far above all others. For them, their four-legged friend is both their most loyal companion and the one who shows them the most affection. The researchers also observed that the more a person has strong human relationships, the more they develop a deep and harmonious bond with their dog. Long confined to practical roles, dogs are now central to the lives of many families. This is reflected in the emergence of the terms 'dog moms' and 'dog dads' to designate people who no longer see themselves as dog owners, but as pet parents, caring for their dog's well-being and showing their pet affection, as they would with a child. This reveals a profound change in the status of dogs in today's society. This study highlights the unique role that domestic dogs play: that of an ideal blend of unconditional affection, relationship stability and absence of conflict. This mix may well explain why these animals occupy such a special place in the hearts of so many humans. — ETX Studio
