Being a fan of dogs or cats defines your personality

Dogs and cats are not only separated by a thousand-year enmity. Also their customs are very different and you can guess that so is their way of understanding the world.

The dogs They tend to be gregarious, just as wolves are, and they appreciate displays of affection that even the most uninhibited people may find inappropriate. The cats they are much more independent, unpredictable, and not always welcome to hugs and touches.

Being a fan of dogs or cats could define your personality

It is clear that they are different animals, because they do not have too many reasons to be alike. They are not exactly like water and oil, but neither have they been carved by evolution to be companions. inseparable, and their way of behaving has developed to adapt to different environments and different way.

However, These obvious differences that exist between dogs and cats could translate into subtle differences in personality and the ideology of his "fans".

Some people insist that any human being can be defined depending on their answer to the following question: "Do you like cats or dogs more?".

The answer to this question, whatever it may be, admits few nuances and will hardly provide as much information about someone as a personal interview. However, it is easy to think that, since cats and dogs act so differently, the personality of their caregivers may also be different.

But... To what extent is this true? Does the simple fact of preferring one animal or the other say enough about people to be able to build two personality profiles? Some studies give reason to think so.

Correlations

Anyone interested in psychology, sociology, or economics knows that there is a vast ocean of research showing the craziest correlations. Virtually any data series can be compared with another to see if there are relationships between them, and the world of dogs and cats could not be left out, taking into account the money that moves and the interest that generate.

If there are already market studies that try to draw the profile of the typical consumer of coffee capsules, it is easy to imagine why are there studies that try to define people's personalities according to their degree of fondness for dogs or cats. However, the correlations found between the preference for one or the other animal and the scores in psychological tests do have a minimum theoretical support: the description of the "personality" of one or another species and the degree to which they complement the human who fills in the forms of answer.

Are you dominant? This cat is not for you

Two researchers hypothesized that dominant people tend to prefer dogs. These people would be more likely to prefer animals that are more dependent on them, more predictable and more sensitive to a system of punishments and rewards. The results seemed to give them the reason in part.

The group of dog lovers got higher scores than cat fans in competitiveness and in Social Dominance Orientation, which implies that its members accept more social inequality and hierarchical systems. However, cat and dog lovers showed no difference in their scores for assertiveness Y narcissism, something that was not contemplated in the initial hypothesis.

Cat friends are more introverted

Neither dogs nor cats are characterized by wanting to stay at home, but the latter go for walks on their own. That means the relationship between humans and cats is more domestic and that the responsibility of taking care of one of these animals does not imply having to go out to the park every day to meet other pet owners. If one of the two animals is more related to the social, as we humans understand it, that is the dog.

Does this mean that dog lovers are more appreciative of new and unforeseen social contacts? It could be so, according to research led by Samuel D. Gosling, Carlson J. Sandy and Jeff Potter. This team found correlations between people's preference for dogs or cats and their personality scores according to the test. Big Five, or 5 great personality traits. Volunteers who preferred dogs scored high on extraversion, friendliness, and responsibility / organization. Cat fans, for their part, scored higher on the two remaining personality dimensions: neuroticism and openness to experience.

The highlight: the level of intelligence

Psychologist Denise Guastello, from Carroll University, participated in a study that sought to address differences in intelligence scores between supporters of one or another animal.

Cat fans obtained a higher score on intelligence tests, thus fulfilling that stereotype that associates introversion and higher IQ. However, this would only apply to people, since in general terms cats do not show signs of being more intelligent than dogs.

In short, if statistics are given a voice, they seem to be able to speak in favor of some psychological differences between dog and cat supporters. However, it is not yet known whether these differences are due only to cultural factors, too small a sample of volunteers, or whether they reflect more or less robust psychological mechanisms.

Thus, the issue cannot be closed and decided that these psychological profiles are immovable. The preference for dogs or felines may unleash passions, but these should be set aside when interpreting the results.

Bibliographic references:

• Alba, B. and Haslam, N. Dog People and Cat People Differ on Dominance-Related Traits. Anthrozoos (link).
• Gosling, S. D., Sandy, C. J. and Potter, J. (2010). Personalities of Self-Identified Dog People and Cat People. Anthrozoo, 23 (2), pp. 213 - 222.