Elevating the Role of Human-Animal Bond in Mental Wellbeing

We live in a time when mental wellbeing has never felt more important and more fragile, where 45% of people rate their mental health as their top health concern while stress and anxiety disorders affect 359 million worldwide. In 2025, Mars set out to prove that one answer to this societal challenge could lie in the pets that growing number of people worldwide have welcomed into their homes and encourage more people to consider pet ownership because of the mutual wellbeing benefits it can deliver. The first-of-its-kind global campaign, rooted in a landmark Pets and Wellbeing Study (PAWS) program (set to become the largest research into Human-Animal Interaction with 35,000 participants across 20 markets, led by the Waltham Petcare Science Institute, in partnership with university partners), aimed to build belief and recognition in the power of pets to benefit human mental wellbeing. The campaign focused on increasing the understanding of the scientific evidence supporting pets’ positive impact on mental health and Mars’ role in advancing it; growing global public awareness and recognition of the positive impact of human-animal bond on mental wellbeing; delivering practical tools inspired by our relationship with pets and backed by science to support mental wellbeing; equipping policymakers with an evidence-based advocacy on pets’ role in society, and helping more people access the benefits of pet ownership responsibly by encouraging adoption.