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Personalities of dog and cat owners are polar opposites, study shows
The age-old saying about cat and dog owners seems to have some truth to it after all, as a study has found contrasting personality traits between them.
Your choice of pet undeniably says a lot about you, like where you live to accommodate their needs, how much time, money, and effort you invest to keep them happy, and much more. But your preference for dogs or cats runs deeper, it seems.
Dog and cat owners have opposite personalities
To understand the link between the personalities of people and the pets they own, a team of researchers surveyed three hundred and twenty-eight participants from Australia. The findings are available in the research article published in late July.
After analyzing the data of the male and female participants, whose ages ranged between 17 and 79, it was determined that dog owners are more resilient compared to cat owners, who were found to be neurotic.
“Statistically significant personality differences were found when comparing dog owners with cat owners,” states the study published by Taylor & Francis with dog owners showing higher resilience, while higher neuroticism was seen in cat owners.
However, the experiment fails to tell whether people with specific personalities choose certain pets or if humans are influenced by the characteristics of their pets after living with them.
One type is ‘warmer’ than the other
Of course, the detailed analysis of pet ownership has helped the researchers narrow down more characteristics unique to people who own cats and dogs.
While dog people scored higher on warmth, liveliness, rule consciousness, and social boldness, cat people scored higher on general intelligence, abstractedness, and self-reliance.
Going by the study, dogs would be more suitable for individuals who are emotionally available with the ability to tackle challenges without letting the stress get to them. Whereas, people who are self-sufficient but more neurotic should consider cats for a pet.
Regardless of the new finding, “the decision to acquire a pet at any time should always be well thought out, with a commitment to care for the animal for the duration of its lifetime and with the animal’s welfare at the forefront of the decision,” says Jessica Oliva, the lead author of the research.
