The phrase "there are only two types of people, those who prefer X or Y" gives rise to endless possibilities. Those who opt for tortilla with or without onion, for summer or winter, for movies or series... And those who prefer cats or dogs. According to a ranking prepared by Semrush, dogs are the favorite companion animal for Spaniards, closely followed by kittens.
Choosing one pet or another may depend on different factors. Perhaps you like the look or personality of a certain species or race better. The care that this animal needs may have conditioned you based on your economic possibilities, time and space in your home. Perhaps you have even found the perfect balance in your home to enjoy a peaceful coexistence between dogs and cats.
But beyond personal tastes or clichés, it seems that there are certain personalities who prefer cats and others who prefer dogs. This was confirmed in a study carried out in 2017 by psychologists from the University of Florida, Carroll University and Marquette University. To carry out the research, they surveyed 600 university students, aged between 18 and 22 years. Of this sample, 352 people presented as dog lovers and 66 leaned toward felines.
Based on the answers obtained in the questionnaires posed to the participants, the study concluded that people who prefer cats are more intelligent than people who prefer dogs. This is so because the former scored higher in reasoning and general intelligence, while dog lovers scored higher in mental toughness.
Another noteworthy finding is that people with dogs are more outgoing, have greater self-control, are more aware of the rules, and are more lively. For their part, people with cats are more reasonable and have greater emotional sensitivity.
In conclusion, taking all the results together, the personalities of cat lovers are more shy, solitary, serious and non-conformist; while being creative, sentimental, independent and self-sufficient. For their part, dog lovers are down-to-earth, pragmatic and responsible people, warm, outgoing, sociable, expressive and group-oriented. Finally, anxiety was a trait that did not show significant differences between the 'cat team' and the 'dog team'.
