Through out my life time, my family has owned two dogs. I have come to realize that I am definitely more of what you would consider a “dog person” than a “cat person.” Out of my interest and love for dogs, I thought it would be interesting to discern between these two different kinds of people and discover whether there are consistent patterns or common themes among a “dog person” personality and a “cat person” personality. Low and behold, after a bit of research, I discovered that, indeed, there is scientific research on the differences in dog people and cat people.
According to Huffington Post, and author Rachael Rettner, dog lovers tended to consider themselves more of the outgoing and energetic type whereas the people who preferred cats described themselves as relatively “introverted” or “more sensitive than dog lovers.” As strange as this seemed to me, I decided to figure out why that is. Study researcher Denise Guastello, an associate professor of psychology at Carroll University in Waukesha, Wisconsin, presented the findings at the annual Association for Psychological Science meeting. “Whereas, if you’re more introverted, and sensitive, maybe you’re more at home reading a book, and your cat doesn’t need to go outside for a walk.” However, that being said, it is also possible that people choose their pets based on their own personalities as well.
Interesting insight from Psychology Today noted that wild cats’ tendencies and attitudes are relatively similar to those of domestic cats, as with wild canines and domestic dogs. Wild cats tend to travel independently and hunt late at night. Similarly with wild cats, they never usually require company. Often times, they like to be left alone. Contrastingly with dogs, wild canines travel in packs and a very active animals between dawn and dusk. “Domestic dogs retain this need for social interaction to the degree that without a master and a family, a dog seems unhappy, almost lost.” Dogs are seemingly dependent upon attention, care and activity whereas cats are almost entirely uninterested, most of the time.
Sam Gosling, a psychologist at the University of Texas in Austin and his graduate student Carson Sandy conducted a web-based study in which 4,565 individuals were asked whether they were dog people, cat people, neither or both. The results showed that dog people were generally about 15 percent more extroverted and 13 percent more agreeable, both of which dimensions are associated with social orientation. In addition, dog people proved 11 percent more conscientious than cat people. Conscientiousness involves is a tendency to show self-discipline, to complete tasks and aim for achievement. The trait shows a preference for planned rather than spontaneous behavior. In addition to that, cat folk turned out to be 12 percent more neurotic however, they also proved to be about 11 percent more “open” (emotionally/intellectually).
Based on the nature of dogs being more sociable than cats, many people can logically expect that the personalities of dog lovers would also reflect higher sociability. This is why i believe the traits or attitudes within a dog and a cat reflect the kind of person the owner may be like.The general pattern and overall conclusion that comes out of both studies is that dog owners are more social, interactive and accepting and cat owners (who own cats exclusively) are more introverted, self-contained and less sociable.
Sources:
http://www.livescience.com/45894-dog-cat-people-personalities.html
I found this really interesting! I never thought about what makes someone a cat or dog person either. I’ve always loved animals and considered myself both a cat and dog person, though I tend to like cats more. It makes a lot of sense that we select pets based on our personalities. I know personally I can be both really outgoing in certain situations, but for the most part I am more quiet and laid back, which would make sense why I lean more towards cats. Thanks for sharing this, very interesting.
For my entire life, I have always considered myself a dog person. Honestly, I am slightly afraid of cats! Most of my friends seem to be dog people as well, but I do know quite a fair share of cat people! I have never truly thought about what makes someone a dog person, as opposed to a cat person. The research that you found really interested me, and all of it makes perfect sense. Our personalities impact all of our life choices, from preferring to stay in over going out, as well as in deciding what pet would suit us best. I would agree with the research that most of the people I know who are dog people are extremely social and love being active. On the other hand, a majority of my friends who would rather have a cat are more introverted and would prefer a quiet night at home.