Blog
About
PARINC.COM
MENU
CHECK OUT
Login
SEARCH
1-800-331-8378
Blog
About
PARINC.COM
Search
1.800.331.8378
Research
Pet Project: Are There Personality Differences Between Cat and Dog Lovers?
June 17, 2014
Cat lovers and dog lovers may have more differences than just the type of pet they prefer, according to new research from
Denise Guastello, PhD
, of Carroll University. The findings, which were presented at the annual
Association for Psychological Science
meeting, suggest that there are both personality and intelligence differences between the two types of animal lovers.
After surveying 600 college students, researchers determined that dog lovers tend to be more outgoing and extroverted; cat lovers are more inclined to be open-minded, sensitive, and introverted. Dog people prefer following rules closely, while cat people preferred being expedient to being a rule-follower.
“One explanation for these personality differences could be due to each owner’s choice of environment,”
said Guastello
. “It makes sense that a dog person is going to be more lively because they’re going to want to be out there, outside, talking to people, bringing their dog. 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.”
Beyond personality, though, cat lovers scored higher on intelligence tests than their dog-owning counterparts.
Furthermore,
fewer people
identified as cat fans. Just 11% of the surveyed group chose cats as their pet of choice, while 60% of those surveyed preferred dogs. The remaining members of the survey group either responded that they liked both animals equally or they didn’t identify with either type of pet. Though this study focused on college students, a
2010 study
of more than 4,500 people came to similar conclusions.
Guastello believes this study’s results could be used to improve pet therapy, helping to create better owner-pet matches.
Categories
About PAR (65)
Advocacy (23)
Books (8)
Community PARtners (30)
Conference (44)
Contest (3)
Discounts (12)
General (13)
Meet the Author (24)
Movies (1)
New Products (95)
PAR Author (63)
PAR Staff (40)
Practice (107)
Products (118)
Research (151)
Training (25)
Uncategorized (7)
Webinar (15)
White Paper (4)
Archives
2019
January (4)
February (4)
March (4)
April (5)
May (4)
June (4)
July (5)
August (4)
September (4)
October (5)
November (4)
December (1)
2018
January (5)
February (4)
March (4)
April (4)
May (5)
June (4)
July (5)
August (4)
September (4)
October (5)
November (3)
December (4)
2017
January (5)
February (4)
March (4)
April (4)
May (5)
June (4)
July (4)
August (5)
September (4)
October (5)
November (4)
December (3)
2016
January (4)
February (4)
March (5)
April (4)
May (5)
June (4)
July (3)
August (5)
September (6)
October (4)
November (5)
December (4)
2015
January (7)
February (4)
March (6)
April (4)
May (4)
June (5)
July (4)
August (4)
September (5)
October (4)
November (4)
December (5)
2014
January (4)
February (4)
March (4)
April (5)
May (4)
June (4)
July (5)
August (4)
September (4)
October (5)
November (4)
December (5)
2013
January (5)
February (4)
March (4)
April (5)
May (4)
June (4)
July (5)
August (4)
September (4)
October (5)
November (5)
December (5)
2012
January (5)
February (4)
March (5)
April (5)
May (5)
June (4)
July (6)
August (4)
September (5)
October (6)
November (4)
December (4)
2011
January (4)
February (4)
March (5)
April (3)
May (6)
June (5)
July (5)
August (5)
September (4)
October (5)
November (5)
December (4)
2010
May (4)
June (3)
July (5)
August (4)
September (2)
October (3)
November (3)
December (3)
Contact PAR
Customer Support:
1.800.331.8378
Tech Support:
1.800.899.8378
Email:
cs@parinc.com
Website:
www.parinc.com
Recent Posts
2019: Another year of innovative products!
Get expert advice on emotional disturbance
New EDDT reports now available on PARiConnect!
PAR is going to San Diego for NAN!
Customer Support—as important as the instruments we publish
Read More »
Tags
online assessment
AAB
alzheimer's
APA
assessment
authors
autism
BRIEF
BRIEF2
career
career counseling
career interest inventory
Cecil Reynolds
ChAMP
children
Community PARtners
concussion
customer service
customer support
depression
emotional disturbance
executive function
FAR
feifer
free training
intelligence
John Holland
learning disabilities
memory
mental health
NASP
neuropsychology
online assessment
PAR
PAR staff
PARiConnect
personality
philanthropy
post-traumatic stress disorder
Psychology
ptsd
reading
research
retirement
SDS
Self-Directed Search
suicide
training
training portal
United Way