Pets, touch, and COVID-19: health benefits from non-human touch through times of stress

Janette Young (), Rhianna Pritchard, Carmel Nottle and Helen Banwell
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Janette Young: Allied Health and Human Performance, University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia
Rhianna Pritchard: Allied Health and Human Performance, University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia
Carmel Nottle: Allied Health and Human Performance, University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia
Helen Banwell: Allied Health and Human Performance, University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia

Journal of Behavioral Economics for Policy, 2020, vol. 4, issue S2, 25-33

Abstract: During times of social isolation, such as the global COVID-19 pandemic, the social distancing mantras that have been integral to COVID-19 responses position close human-to-human contact, including physical touch, as life threatening. Touch is commonly an overlooked sense, yet studies have shown that touch deprivation reduces survival rates of pre-term babies and contributes to stunted mental and emotional development in institutionalized orphaned humans. For people who experience less social contact, touch deprivation may impact on quality of life. This article explores the notion that human to non-human contact, such as that between animal guardians and their pets, may assist in promoting health and wellbeing when human contact is limited. Use is made of a qualitative research project interviewing people on the role of their pets in creating health. 90% of participants (n = 29/32) identified touch as core to this intersection. Inductive touch themes identified include comfort, relaxation and reciprocity, pointing to the impacts but also the mechanisms by which cross-species touch can create human wellbeing – a relational resource that may counter COVID-19 touch deprivation engendered by prohibition of human-human contact. With over half of the world's population having pets, these relationships may be one of our greatest health-promoting resources at this time.

Keywords: touch; pets; companion animals; COVID-19; health (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: H51 I1 I3 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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