CAT PEOPLE, DOG PEOPLE, GECKO PEOPLE

What your ideal pet reveals about you

- Jennifer Connor-Smith

Pet Personalities

Cat people have reputations for being quirky and independent. Dog people for being friendly and laid-back. People even rate strangers photographed with dogs as more likable than people pictured with cats. Do these stereotypes have any basis in reality?

Psychologist Sam Gosling of the University of Texas has explored this question. While he was studying animal personality, he kept getting questions about cat people and dog people. Eventually, he decided to explore the link between personality and pet preferences. As it turns out, “Stereotypes about dog people and cat people have some truth to them,” he says. When people describe their own personalities, they seem a bit like the pets they love.

Like cats, cat people tend to be solitary. Compared to dog people, Gosling says, they “enjoy spending time alone, and are private and reserved.” They also get stressed more easily. Dog people tend to be more “calm, unflappable, and relaxed,” says Gosling, while cat people are more likely to “worry about things or get easily ruffled.” In general, cat people are more curious, creative, and unconventional than dog people.

Like dogs, dog people tend to be “outgoing, energetic, and sociable,” says Gosling. They are also more trusting and loyal than cat people. Dog people are also more likely to see themselves as “responsible, task-oriented, and dutiful,” says Gosling. Good news, since dogs need daily walks and regular grooming.