Thousands
of
Americans
have
adopted
dogs
and
cats
to
combat
the
loneliness
of
COVID-19
quarantine,
but
what
is
the
emotional
impact
when
a
human
experiences
rejection
by
a
pet?
It's
a
question
a
Baldwin
Wallace
University
psychology
professor
and
her
students
have
been
seeking
to
answer.
Part
of
their
ongoing
research
into
the
effects
of
pet
rejection
was
recently
published
in
the
Journal
of
Social
and
Clinical
Psychology
and
highlighted
in
Psychology
Today.
Inspired
by
Zephyr
Dr.
Stephanie
Rothman
has
a
long-held
research
interest
in
human
rejection,
but
it
was
an
experience
with
her
own
dog,
Zephyr,
that
inspired
her
to
mine
the
emotional
impact
of
being
rebuffed
by
a
pet.
"The
promise
of
unconditional
love
is
what
draws
many
of
us
to
adopt
a
dog,"
explains
Rothman.
"But
the
pang
of
pain
I
felt
after
sitting
down
on
one
end
of
the
couch
to
be
with
my
dog
and
watching
him
immediately
jump
off
to
get
away
got
me
thinking
about
pet
rejection.
As
I
started
talking
to
others
about
it,
I
realized
I
wasn't
alone.
Everyone
had
their
own
pet
rejection
story."
Pain
on
par
with
human
rejection
Setting
out
to
study
the
phenomenon,
Rothman
and
her
BW
student
research
assistants
tested
the
reactions
of
college
students
who
were
told
their
scents
were
"rejected"
by
a
dog,
compared
to
others
who
were
told
the
dog
showed
"interest."
The
findings
showed
students
who
were
rejected
experienced
increased
negative
mood
and
decreased
positive
mood,
as
well
as
lower
feelings
of
belongingness,
meaningful
existence,
control
and
self-esteem.
In
another
study,
Rothman
analyzed
responses
to
an
online
survey
asking
participants
to
describe
their
experiences
being
rejected
by
pets.
She
found
the
emotional
pain
of
being
rebuffed
by
an
animal
hurts
just
like
human
rejection.
"Although
some
studies
have
shown
that
pets
can
make
people
feel
better
and
improve
health,
my
research
shows
that
negative
interactions
with
pets
make
people
feel
worse,"
Rothman
says.
The
glass
half
full
In
an
earlier,
unpublished
study,
Rothman
discovered
that
the
types
of
pet
rejection
that
people
most
commonly
experience
fall
into
three
categories:
-
aggression
by
the
animal,
-
a
preference
for
someone
else
and
-
being
ignored
or
snubbed
in
the
moment.
While
any
type
of
pet
rejection
can
cause
distress,
Rothman's
research
also
affirms
the
significance
of
pets
to
our
families.
"This
research
demonstrates
the
special
and
important
role
that
pets
play
in
people's
lives,"
Rothman
concludes.
"If
they
were
not
important
sources
of
social
connection,
people
would
not
react
so
negatively
to
being
rejected
by
them."
So,
go
ahead
and
help
empty
the
shelters.
The
risk
of
rejection
will
likely
be
outweighed
by
the
long-term
reward.
See
more
coverage
of
the
research
on
cleveland.com.
