You’re Either A Cat Person Or A Dog Person — Here’s What It Says About Your Personality
The never ending battle of wits between cat and dog lovers just got serious.
Gladskikh Tatiana | Shutterstock Pets are much more than just furry freeloaders — they are treasured family members! Just like each pet has its own distinct personality, each animal does, too. It stands to reason, then, that a human's preferred pet would reveal a lot about their personality.
From single women collecting colonies of cats to Subaru-driving dog owners who think their pooches should be accepted in every public place, stereotypes abound when it comes to owners and their pets. But perhaps the age-old question of whether you're a dog person or a cat person can actually reveal a lot more about an owner's personality than we realized.
You're either a cat person or a dog person, and studies have proven your choice can reveal a lot about your personality.
A study conducted by Carroll University has been the talk of pet lovers across the web. The 2014 study distinguishes the differences between people who love cats and dogs and highlights how your pet preference is essentially a reflection of your personality. Associate psychology professor Denise Guastello believes "it’s possible that people select pets based on their personality."
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Surveying 600 college students about their pet preferences, the study set out to determine which qualities the participants found most attractive in their pets, along with the qualities they associated with their own personality, as was also found in a 2019 study.
While 60% of the people surveyed considered themselves to be dog people, only 11% stated that they preferred cats, while the other 29% liked both or neither.
Cat people are smarter than dog people.
Findings showed that pet owners who leaned toward cats received more points in a test designed to determine intelligence. Yup, they pretty much found that cat people are smarter than dog people.
Settle down, dog lovers; the research makes more sense when put into perspective. Cat lovers were also described as "more introverted, more open-minded and more sensitive than dog lovers. Cat people also tended to be non-conformists, preferring to be expedient rather than follow the rules."
Basically, cat people like to be home, curled up with a good book (no pun intended). They are much more engaged in intellectual pursuits, which falls in line with the study findings. Think of your notion of a cat's personality; it makes sense that their owners would be more comfortable spending a quiet night at home with little care for how other people perceive them.
Dog people are more personable and charismatic than cat people.
Dog people might not be as academically driven as cat lovers, but they are much more lively. Researchers found dog lovers to be more "energetic and outgoing." They like being out in the world and socializing with others.
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It makes sense that they prefer dogs who also prefer action to long, lazy days of napping on windowsills. Dogs are friendly, curious, and happy to be with people. They like to make their owners happy. They are pack animals, so the more, the merrier, and their owners feel similarly.
While this evidence might stir up a conflict of interest between cat and dog lovers everywhere, this study, along with others, acknowledged positive characteristics for pet lovers alike. These differences in personalities tended to be traits that their pets also possessed. For instance, dog lovers described themselves as being active, enthusiastic, and animated, while cat lovers were found to be more reserved, receptive, and sensitive.
Previous studies have had similar discoveries.
A 2010 web-based study from the University of Texas looked at 4,565 individuals and divided them into four categories: cat people, dog people, neither, or both. After partaking in a 44-question personality assessment, the research revealed, "Dog people were generally about 15% more extroverted, 13% more agreeable and 11% more conscientious than cat people [who were] about 12% more neurotic and 11% more open." This means that dog lovers are more self-disciplined and tend to be "planners" when compared to their feline friends.
The best part about this test is that not only does your pet preference say a lot about your personality, but it can also lead you one step closer to finding the perfect match. In fact, a love interest's inclination towards a certain pet could say more about his or her personality than you may think.
The personality traits associated with each pet could help predict your level of compatibility with prospective lovers and friends, making it that much easier for you to connect with Mr. or Mrs. Right.
We can't argue with that.
Tabitha Blaisdell is a freelance writer whose work can be found all across the web on BuzzFeed, Elite Daily, Thought Catalog, Psych Central, and more.
