Dog People and Cat People Are Different, and That's Okay

Research has once again proven something we already knew: Dog people and cat people really are different. And nobody's "better."

Sam Gosling, author of Snoop: What Your Stuff Says About You and psychology researcher at the University of Austin, Texas, had over 4,500 people take a 44 question personality test with an unusual query: Are you a dog person or a cat person?

Forty-six percent of respondents said they were dog people, while just 12 percent owned up to being cat people (28 percent said they were both and 15 percent said they were neither). What's more, it turns out that dog people seem to be more extroverted, and even more "agreeable" than cat people. Cat people were more "open," and also more "neurotic."

"This research suggests there are significant differences on major personality traits between dog people and cat people," says Gosling. "Given the tight psychological connections between people and their pets, it is likely that the differences between dogs and cats may be suited to different human personalities."

So, are the crazy cat lady stories true? Are cat people introverted, yet open (that special breed of rambling), stubborn and opinionated, as opposed to agreeable, and neurotic? Probably not — but I'd venture to guess that those stereotypes are what kept all but just 12 percent from confessing their affinity for felines.

CNN asked NYC veterinarian David Bessler what he thought of the results.

"To love cats, you have to be able to love things for themselves; they have their own life, they aren't necessarily dependent on you," he said. "Your dog kind of lives for you."

This makes good sense to me. In fact, I wonder if it's related to what kind of love we need in our lives, or perhaps what kind of love we are best at receiving. Or, perhaps it's just mimicry. My research into the field of empathy has almost always indicated that we mirror each other's postures, expressions and eventually personality traits over time. This could definitely be possible with pets, so, who's to say whether it's the chicken or the egg?

I'd be interested to know if the cat/dog question came at the beginning or the end of the questionnaire. One might think, "I'm an extrovert," but after considering how much they love snuggling on the couch with the hard-earned affection of their cat, they might answer "introvert." If you asked someone whether they liked birds or fish better, would they then answer questions through bird or fish tinted glasses?

Either way, this is an interesting study, and now, "dog owner" and "cat owner" can essentially be used as psychological trait umbrellas. I hope people will use the insights to communicate and appreciate one another better. Just the way some offices use Myers-Briggs indicators to improve working relationships, maybe knowing someone is a dog or cat person can help you understand how they like to be (or having become accustomed to being) treated.

For further study, check out Gosling's new research into animal personality traits.

Photo by Elsie esq. via Flickr.