Psychologists from HSE University Discovered How Love for Animals Affects Relationships with People
Researchers from HSE University have identified a connection between attachment to pets and attitudes toward nature and other people. The study found that the more joy people derive from interacting with their pets, the more they want to help others. However, love for animals is not always associated with concern for nature. The findings were published in the Social Psychology and Society journal.
In recent years, the social aspects of living with animals have become an increasingly popular topic among scientists, who have found connections between a person's attitude toward their pets and their interactions with society. However, it remained unclear how love for pets affected a person's attitudes toward others and the natural world. To explore this, researchers from HSE University examined how animals influence our sense of belonging to the natural world (ecological identity) and adherence to moral standards and ethical behaviours (moral motives).
Ecological identity refers to a person's sense of connection with nature and awareness of their place in the ecosystem. People with a strong ecological identity tend to care about animals, plants, and even inanimate nature, demonstrating responsibility toward future generations.
Moral motives are internal principles that guide our behaviour toward others. They include helping, avoiding harm, and striving for social justice and order.
Can love for pets help us treat other humans and the world with compassion, or is it a feeling directed solely at one creature? To answer this question, researchers from the HSE School of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, surveyed 284 people with an average age of 25 years. The participants completed standardised questionnaires, including the modified Lexington Attachment to Pets Scale, the Ecological Identity Scale, and the Moral Motives Scale.
The researchers found that attachment to pets was indeed associated with prosocial personality traits. For example, the more joy a person derived from interacting with their pet, the more likely they are to avoid conflicts, help others and not harm them. However, the link between pet love and ecological identity was less strong than expected.
‘Attachment to pets can indeed promote prosocial behaviour in people,’ comments Sofya Nartova-Bochaver, co-author of the study and Head of the HSE Laboratory for the Psychology of Salutogenic Environment. ‘However, this relationship is more complex than it may seem. For example, recognising pets' rights and the happiness derived from interaction with them does not necessarily enhance ecological identity. In other words, loving animals does not always lead to a broader love for nature and the world at large.’
According to the researchers, attachment to pets affects a person's empathy. This finding supports the use of educational practices related to animal care.
The researchers intend to replicate the test results of the Russian study in other countries. They are planning a cross-cultural study in collaboration with colleagues from India, Italy, and Poland.
See also:
HSE Scientists Train Neural Network to 'Hear' Faults in Electric Motors
Researchers at the AI and Digital Science Institute of the HSE Faculty of Computer Science have developed a new method—the Signature-Guided Data Augmentation (SGDA) framework—that achieves 99% accuracy in motor fault detection and 86% accuracy in fault classification. The application of this approach can reduce industrial equipment repair costs, minimise downtime, and improve production safety. The study results have been published in Engineering Applications of Artificial Intelligence.
The 'Second Shift' Is Not Why Women Avoid News
Women are more likely than men to avoid political and economic news, but the reasons for this behaviour are linked less to structural inequality or family-related stress than to personal attitudes and the emotional perception of news content. This conclusion was reached by HSE researchers after analysing data from a large-scale survey of more than 10,000 residents across 61 regions of Russia. The study findings have been published in Woman in Russian Society.
Resource Race and Green Transition: Three Unexpected Conclusions from Foresight Centre’s Research on Climate and Poverty
Beneath the surface of green energy—which most people associate with solar panels, electric vehicles, and reduced CO2 emissions—lies a complex web of geopolitical interests, international inequality, and resource constraints. Researchers from the Laboratory for Science and Technology Studies (LST) at the HSE ISSEK Foresight Centre have published a series of articles in leading international journals on hidden and overt conflicts surrounding critically important metals and minerals, as well as related processes in the energy sector.
Immersion in Second Language Environment Influences Bilinguals’ Perception of Emotions
Researchers at the Cognitive Health and Intelligence Centre at the HSE Institute for Cognitive Neuroscience have discovered how bilingual individuals process emotional words in their native (first) and non-native (second) languages. It was found that the link between word meaning and bodily sensations is weaker in a second language than in a first language. However, the more a person is immersed in a language environment, the smaller this difference becomes. The article has been published in Language, Cognition and Neuroscience.
Researchers Find More Effective Approach to Revealing Majorana Zero Modes in Superconductors
An international team of researchers, including physicists from HSE MIEM, has demonstrated that nonmagnetic impurities can help more accurately reveal Majorana zero modes—quantum states considered promising building blocks for quantum computing. The researchers found that these impurities shift the energy levels that typically obscure the Majorana signal, while leaving the mode itself largely unaffected, thereby making its spectral peak more distinct. The study has been published in Research.
New Development by HSE Scientists Helps Design Reliable Electronics Faster at a Lower Cost
Scientists from HSE MIEM have developed a new approach to modelling electrothermal processes in high-power electronic circuits on printed circuit boards (PCB). The method allows engineers to quickly and accurately predict how electronic components heat up during operation, helping prevent overheating and potential failures. The results have been published in Russian Microelectronics.
The Future of Cardiogenetics Lies in Artificial Intelligence
Researchers from the AI and Digital Science Institute at the HSE Faculty of Computer Science have developed a program capable of analysing regions of the human genome that were previously inaccessible for accurate interpretation in genetic testing. The program adapts large generative AI (GenAI) models for cardiogenetics to predict how specific mutations affect the function of individual genes.
HSE Researchers: Young Russians Have Sufficient Knowledge About Money but Lack Money Management Skills
Adolescents and young adults in Russia today are well versed in financial terminology: they know what bank cards, loans, interest rates, and online payments are. However, as researchers at HSE University have found, real money-management skills remain poorly developed among most young people. The study ‘Financial Literacy, Financial Culture, and Financial Autonomy of Youth’ has been published in Monitoring of Public Opinion: Economic and Social Changes.
Why Weaker Competitors Give Up—and How to Keep Them in the Game
Anastasia Antsygina, Assistant Professor at HSE University’s Faculty of Economic Sciences, has developed a prize distribution model that maximises competitor engagement. She proposed revising the traditional ‘winner-takes-all’ approach and, in certain cases, offering a small reward even to those who have lost. According to her, this could increase participant motivation and make the competition more intense. The findings of her research were published in the Economic Theory journal.
HSE Researchers Compile Scientific Database for Studying Children’s Eating Habits
The database created at HSE University can serve as a foundation for studying children’s eating habits. This is outlined in the study ‘The Influence of Age, Gender, and Social-Role Factors on Children’s Compliance with Age-Based Nutritional Norms: An Experimental Study Using the Dish-I-Wish Web Application.’ The work has been carried out as part of the HSE Basic Research Programme and was presented at the XXVI April International Academic Conference named after Evgeny Yasin.