Are you a dog person or a cat person? Sometimes it depends on your personality

In the world of pets there are two line-ups: there’s who loves dogs and who loves cats. Some prefer the joyful love of dogs and others favour the lofty independence of felines, which are in any case able to demonstrate great affection towards the owners.
A recent research carried out by Denise Guastello, psychology professor at the Carroll University, Wisconsin, demonstrates that the owner’s personality and lifestyle affect the choice of pets.

The survey has been carried out on 200 thousand people and highlights that dog owners have 15% of possibility to be more extroverted and friendly, whilst cat owners have 11% to be more introverted.

The research suggests that the education level could also represent a decisive factor in the choice. In fact, people owning a cat have 17% of possibility more to be graduated.

Even the sense of humour of the two owners’ categories seems to be different. Dog lovers prefer slapstick funniness, based on simple gags that use body language, whilst cat lovers find more funny a subtle humour and word tricks.

Inevitably, the type of dwelling is a key factor in the choice. Who lives in a flat tends to choose a cat, whilst those living in rural areas are more likely to have a dog. Parents with little kids are more likely to own dogs, whilst singles and elderly people use to have cats.

In any case, wheter if you prefer the hypnotic purr of cats or the moist warmth of dogs, living with pets is good for you. According to a Scottish study, owning a dog make that person look 10 years younger, thanks to the daily physical activity the animal entails. On the other hand, cats’ purrs seem to have therapeutic powers and benefit people suffering from rheumatisms.

Translated by Camilla Soldati