According to the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, simply owning a dog can build confidence in humans. In a paper titled “Friends With Benefits: On the Positive Consequences of Pet Ownership” lead researcher  Allen R. McConnell describes long-term studies that found pet owners had “greater self-esteem, were more physically fit, tended to be less lonely, were more conscientious and extroverted, and were less fearful and preoccupied than those without pets.” A second experiment using only dog owners found an even greater sense of well-being, as dogs increased their owner’s feelings of belonging, self-esteem, and having a meaningful existence.