Ask A Genius 1301: Why Humans Love Pets More Than People
Author(s): Rick Rosner and Scott Douglas Jacobsen
Publication (Outlet/Website): Ask A Genius
Publication Date (yyyy/mm/dd): 2025/03/03
Scott Douglas Jacobsen: Evolutionarily, why do we care more about dogs and cats than people sometimes?
Rick Rosner: Because dogs and cats give unconditional love. Same reason people love Disneyland—Disneyland doesn’t judge you, doesn’t ask anything from you, except to pay for an overpriced ticket.
In Disneyland, everyone smiles, and it feels like love. Dogs are the same way. Even if you’re a horrible person, a dog doesn’t know. Dogs just love you. Cats? They’re standoffish, but they’re equally indifferent to everyone—they don’t judge who’s an asshole and who isn’t.
And pets are innocent. They don’t act with malice. Plus, they’re dependent on us, which triggers our sympathy. Everything about pet ownership pulls in one emotional direction—love, loyalty, and care. There’s nothing working against that feeling.
Loving a pet is like watching Who Wants to Be a Millionaire—everything about that show was designed to make you want the contestant to win. You’re cheering them on, just like you cheer for your dog. Compare that to The Weakest Link, where contestants actively sabotage each other. The biggest jerks always gang up to kick off the best players, so the people you might want to win rarely win.
Even the host—calling contestants idiots—works against itself. These aren’t idiots; they’re people trying their best under pressure. That’s why The Weakest Link has never been as popular as Who Wants to Be a Millionaire—because it’s a game full of contradictions and conflicting emotions.
Pets aren’t like that.
They’re pure affection. They love you unconditionally. There’s no downside.
With people, love is complicated—there’s love and hate, admiration and resentment. But with animals, it’s all love. The emotional bar for pets is low—all we ask is that they don’t chew up the furniture or poop in the house. And even if they do, we forgive them, because they’re animals.
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