Cat People Are Smarter, Dog People Are More Fun

There are cat people and there are dog people. And according to a new study of pet owners’ personality traits, cat lovers tend to be more intelligent while dog owners are more lively and outgoing.

Denise Guastello, an associate professor of psychology at Carroll University, asked 600 college students whether they identify as cat or dog people, and what qualities they look for in a pet. Guastello then assessed the students’ personalities.

The research showed that dog people look for companionship, while cat people place value on affection. While dog lovers are more energetic and social, cat people were found to be more introverted, open-minded and sensitive. Cat lovers also scored higher when it came to intelligence.

“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,” Guastello said. “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.”

Self-described cat lovers may be smarter than their canine-loving counterparts, but there are way fewer – only 11 percent of the survey group identified as cat people while 60 percent sided with dogs.

So basically:

Alexandra DiPalma is a producer for Fusion Lightworks, Fusion’s In-house Branded Content Agency.