Why you should give your kid a dog instead of a sibling

Take this into account next time he pleads for a brother

Your kid might say he really wants a little brother, but a different kind of addition to the family might make him happier: a pet.

At least, that’s what a new study out of the University of Cambridge suggests. When researchers asked 77 kids to describe their relationships with their pets and their family members, they discovered that the children reported more satisfaction—and less conflict—with pets than with their siblings.

And while previous research found that boys reported stronger relationships with their pets than girls did, this study seems to suggest the opposite: Girls reported that they told more to their pets and rated them higher on companionship, perhaps suggesting that girls interact with their pets in more subtle ways.

What’s the draw? Even though animals can’t fully understand what we’re saying—or respond to us verbally—kids confide in their pets just as much as they do their siblings, the researchers say. In fact, the inability to talk back might actually be working in the pets’ favor, since it makes them appear completely nonjudgmental.

This isn’t the first study that backed the benefits of pets. Back in 2015, a separate study from the University of Cambridge found that kids experiencing adversity—say, from a death in the family, divorce, or other kind of instability—were more likely to have stronger relationships with their pets.

They also showed higher levels of what they called “prosocial behavior,” which included things like helping and sharing with others, the researchers say.

And the benefits of pets aren’t isolated to childhood: Having a pet can decrease your blood pressure and cholesterol—as well as make you feel less lonely and give you more opportunities for exercise and socialization, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).