A study by American psychologist Denise Guastello of Carroll University, published by wierciadlo.pl, revealed psychological and cognitive differences among pet owners. We surveyed 600 students using the 16PF methodology, and the results showed that “cat people” have an average level of general intelligence, as well as a stronger tendency toward abstract thinking, creativity, and individualism. They’re most often introverts. The majority of respondents were “dog people,” and they were more often energetic extroverts.
Researchers in the US found that cat lovers tend to be a bit smarter than dog owners. They studied the psychological and behavioral differences between people who love cats and people who love dogs. This was reported by the Polish publication najwyzszeoplanie, which cited a study by psychologist Denise Guastello of Carroll University in the US.
As the article points out, the debate over whether cats or dogs are man’s best friend has been going on for a long time, and it’s not just a lighthearted discussion. The author says that fans of these animals are often different in many ways, like what they like and how they think. They can even have different IQs.
The study the publication mentioned was done back in 2014. Guastello’s team surveyed 600 American college students to see if there were any noticeable psychological differences between cat and dog lovers. Most of the participants identified as dog lovers—there were 352 of them. On the other hand, only 66 of the respondents identified as “cat people.” The rest of the participants said they loved both types of animals equally or didn’t prefer either one.
Along with the survey, we gave them the 16PF personality test and had them do some tasks to see how good their cognitive abilities were. The results, according to the publication, showed a small but statistically significant difference between the two groups. Cat people tend to do better on general intelligence tests than dog people.
The authors of the study said that one way to understand the results is that dogs appeal to more people, in other words, they’re liked by people of all levels of reasoning ability, while cats are liked primarily by people with higher levels of reasoning ability.
Researchers also said that one more factor may be creative and abstract thinking, which cat owners showed more often.
The researchers also listed the typical traits of both groups. Dog lovers tend to be more outgoing, full of energy, and social. Cat lovers, on the other hand, were usually introverts. They liked spending time alone and tended to be more individualistic.
The researchers focused especially on the “abstractedness” indicator, which is a tendency toward abstract thinking, daydreaming, intellectual curiosity, and creativity. Cat owners scored higher on this scale, which, according to the study’s authors, might explain the difference in intellectual ability between the two groups.