menu_open Columnists
We use cookies to provide some features and experiences in QOSHE

More information  .  Close

Why Talking to Your Pet Like a Person Is Completely Normal, According to Science

9 0
04.09.2026

Get unlimited access to everything VICE has to offer.

Turn off all ads on VICE.com

Exclusive New VICE Documentaries

Member Exclusive Features & Columns

Turn off all ads on VICE.com

Exclusive New VICE Documentaries

Member Exclusive Features & Columns

Turn off all ads on VICE.com

Exclusive New VICE Documentaries

Member Exclusive Features & Columns

4 Magazines Delivered to Your Door

Why Talking to Your Pet Like a Person Is Completely Normal, According to Science

Researchers found about 10% of recorded human speech was directed at pets, from regular conversation to high-pitched baby talk.

Share on X (Opens in new window)X

Share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Facebook

Share using Native toolsShareCopied to clipboard

When you talk to your pet like it’s just another person, you may have a moment of self-awareness and feel a little embarrassed. Your pet is a living creature, but it can’t understand you, and it certainly can’t respond. So why even bother?

According to research published in Frontiers in Psychiatry, talking to our pets, especially when we get super cutesy and raise our voice a few octaves, is normal, and it might help solve a scientific mystery.

University of Arizona researchers created a brand-new........

© Vice