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Contents
- Abstract
- Literature Search Procedure
- Evolutionary Factors
- Biophilia
- Fear
- Methodological Implications and Future Research Directions
- Developmental and Learning Processes
- Contacts With Animals Across the Life Span
- Attachment
- Modeling
- Methodological Implications and Future Research Directions
- Factors Associated With Work, Religion, and Culture
- Work
- Religion
- Culture
- Methodological Implications and Future Research Directions
- Individual Differences, Ideological Beliefs, and Gender
- Individual Differences
- Ideological Beliefs
- Gender
- Methodological Implications and Future Research Directions
- Psychological Health and Well-Being
- Health Consequences Associated With the Presence of Animals
- Positive associations
- Negative associations
- Null associations
- Bringing the findings together: Potential moderators
- Comparing the role of animals and of humans in predicting human well-being
- When animals add to and complement human relationships
- When animals substitute for human relationships
- Animal-Assisted Therapy
- Do Animals Benefit Too?
- Relationship Loss
- Methodological Implications and Future Research Directions
- Intergroup Relations
- Prejudice, Discrimination, and Speciesism
- Limited Resources Impede Human–Animal Relations
- Intergroup Similarities Versus Differences
- Phylogenetic human–animal similarities and differences
- Anthropomorphism
- When being similar to animals is threatening
- Ideological Factors That Promote Disengagement From Animals
- Crossing the Intergroup Divide: Links Between How We Treat Animals and Humans
- Shared concerns for both animals and humans
- Human–animal relations reflecting the worst of humans
- Methodological Implications and Future Research Direction
- Toward a Recognition of Human–Animal Relations
- Novelty and Contributions of the Current Review
- Accounting for Animal Species and Types
- Cross-Cultural Differences in Human–Animal Relations
- The Future of Human–Animal Relations
- Conclusion
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Abstract
Nonhuman animals are ubiquitous to human life, and permeate a diversity of social contexts by providing humans with food and clothing, serving as participants in research, improving healing, and offering entertainment, leisure, and companionship. Despite the impact that animals have on human lives and vice versa, the field of psychology has barely touched upon the topic of human–animal relations as an important domain of human activity. We review the current state of research on human–animal relations, showing how this body of work has implications for a diverse range of psychological themes including evolutionary processes, development, normative factors, gender and individual differences, health and therapy, and intergroup relations. Our aim is to highlight human–animal relations as a domain of human life that merits theoretical and empirical attention from psychology as a discipline.
Animals have accompanied humans for thousands...