A study in San Francisco has shown that cat people and dog people have distinctly different personalities.

The study found that dog lovers tend to be more lively and outgoing, with more energy and have a tendency to follow the rules very closely.

While cat lovers were more introverted, open-minded and were generally more sensitive than dog lovers.

The study also showed that cat lovers are more likely to be non-conformists.

But the finding that may really set the two sides apart is the discovery that cat lovers are more intelligent than their dog-loving counterparts.

This primarily comes down to the two types of people and their personality traits. And these traits may also be the result of the two different environments these two types of people prefer.

Denise Guastello, an associate professor at Carroll University in Waukesha, Wisconsin, revealed that

“a dog person is going to be more lively because they want to be out there, outside, talking to people, bringing their dog.” On the other hand, a cat person is usually “…more introverted, and sensitive”, Guastello said of cat people: “maybe you’re at home reading a book, and your cat doesn’t need to go outside for a walk.”

A total of 600 college students took part in the study, which involved a number of questions about their pet preferences and their personality traits.

Most people said they were dog lovers (around 60% of the group) while just 11% proclaimed to be cat lovers. The other participants said they liked both or neither cats and dogs.

Guastello also suggested that some people choose their pets based on their own personalities.

Cat people choose cats because they generally both independent and affectionate.

While dog people like the companionship of their pet, and to spend lots of quality time taking care of it.

There are some restrictions to this study in that it only covered college student age people, and so it is not yet known if this rule applies to all other age groups as well.

However, previous studies have used a range of age groups and have found similar results.



For example, a study in 2010 of more than 4,500 people found dog lovers to be conscientious and more outgoing than cat lovers.

So the polls are out! Are you a cat lover or a dog lover? Maybe you can only be one and not the other?

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