It is a fact that single people who own a dog live longer lives with less chance of heart disease. Dogs make us live longer, healthier lives. And dogs give you unconditional love with no strings attached.

In the largest-ever study on dog owning, researchers at Uppsala University in Sweden examined the health records of 3.4 million people and found that owning a dog was most likely to boost the health of single people.

Adults who live alone, but have a dog, were 33 percent less likely to die during the 12-year study than those who don’t. And single adults with dogs were 36 percent less likely to die from cardiovascular disease.

“Dog ownership was especially prominent as a protective factor in persons living alone, which is a group reported previously to be at a higher risk of cardiovascular disease and death,” said the study’s lead author Mwenya Mubanga. “Perhaps a dog may stand in as an important family member in the single households,” he added.

“We know that dog owners in general have a higher level of physical activity, which could be one explanation to the observed results,” explained Tove Fall, a professor at the university, who contributed to the study. People with dogs also live longer because their dogs encourage them to be social, which is good for overall well being, the researches said.

Interesting, though, is that the positive health effects of owning a dog were less dramatic for people living with family or a partner.