Many people believe pets bring them happiness and ease loneliness, and some studies have proven pets' positive effects on physical and mental health.

Yet pet ownership also has downsides: unruly pets may cause harm, sick pets bring endless worry, and high vet costs can add mental stress.

This means the link between having a pet and psychological well-being is far more complex than it appears, which is why a high-quality new study set out to explore it deeply.

The Australian study analyzed survey data and used a sophisticated design to avoid bias.

It had three key strengths: it was longitudinal with data over a period of 5 years, compared pet ownership in areas with different rental policies for a causal analysis, and recruited volunteers without biased screening.

The research tested 495 pet owners on life satisfaction, loneliness, mental and general health.

Its surprising result was that pet ownership had no overall effect on these aspects.

Positive and negative impacts simply balanced each other out across participants: some gained great joy from pets, while others suffered mental stress due to pet-related problems.

Though the finding contradicts previous research, its large sample and rigorous design make it reliable.

It serves as a reminder that people should think rationally before getting a pet, weighing both the joys and the challenges of caring for a living being.