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There’s always been rivalry between the owners of cats and dogs. One will always assert that their four-legged friend is better than your four-legged friend, while lovebirds on first dates will often ask the innocuous yet all-important question: are you a dog person, or a cat person?
Yet, pet owners who have had the pleasure of both canine and feline company in their homes will insist that one is not better than the other, simply different. However, a study has discovered the true differences between ownership of these domesticated species, and as it turns out, there seems to be a link between happy people and dogs.
The American General Social Survey has been conducted regularly since 1972 and this year the 2018 survey results reveal that a higher percentage of dog owners find their lives are happier and more enjoyable than those who own cats.
According to the findings, which were published in British publication The Independent, 36 per cent of dog owners classified themselves as ‘very happy’, while only 18 per cent of cat owners could say the same. The report also found that 28 per cent of people who own both a dog and a cat reported themselves to be very happy. Furthermore, dog owners were found to be more likely to be married, own their homes, and also walk more.
These study findings aren’t an isolated finding, either. In 2016, a study of cat and dog owners also found that dog owners were happier than cat owners, but marked it up to personality traits. That is, dog owners tended to be more agreeable, extroverted and less neurotic than cat owners.
And although a 2015 study found that the presence of a cat in a home could lower negative emotions, our feline friends don’t necessarily increase out positive emotions, either.
So, there you have it dog owners – go forth and gloat.
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