If you’ve ever had a pet, you know how much they can affect your life. You might even find that your life is better because of it. But despite this and some of their seemingly superior characteristics, dogs and cats are quite different animals. There has been a very long debate about the better pet, between cats and dogs. There might not be a correct answer as to which pet is better, but it turns out we can determine which owner is. Studies have shown that cat owners are actually more intelligent in comparison to dog owners. In fact, researches proved that feline owners are more creative, rebellious, and are more independent.
Dog Lovers Are No Less
However, this doesn’t mean that dog lovers are less than their cat counterparts. A study was done by three psychologists from Carroll University, Marquette University, and the University of Florida in 2017. They brought together 418 students from their universities and separated them into two categories: dog lovers and cat lovers. Out of 418 undergrad students, 352 claimed to be a dog parent/lover and the remaining liked cats better as a pet. All of them were asked to take a questionnaire. The results were not what they expected.
Findings of the Study
While cat lovers scored much better in general intelligence, abstract thought, self-reliance, reasoning, and open-mindedness, dog admirers were found to be more extroverted people with warm personalities. There was no difference found between the two categories when it came down to neuroticism and anxiety. The experiment was set in a way that suggested that people who score higher on the questionnaire liveliness and consciousness section are more likely to prefer dogs, and the ones who score well on emotional sensitivity and reasoning like cats more. The psychological profiles of cat lovers and creative people are strikingly similar, indicating that those individuals may favor cats as pets.