Dog owners are much happier than cat owners, poll suggests

The very respected investigation a barometer of American politics, culture and behavior for more than four decades, the question that has plagued many households has finally been taken into account. Dog or cat?

In 2018, the General Social Survey for the first time included a battery of questions about possession of pets. The results not only quantified the country's domestic animal population, almost 6 out of 10 households have at least one but they have allowed to see how the property of mascots It cuts across all sorts of factors of interest to social scientists. Like happiness.

For now, there is little difference between pet owners and non-pet owners, according to the survey. It is statistically impossible to distinguish the two groups with respect to the probability of identifying themselves as "very happy" (just over 30%) or "Not too happy" (in adolescence).

But when you break down the data by types of animals -cats, dogs or both there is a incredible division: the dog owners are twice as likely as cat owners to say that they are very happy, with people who both have an intermediate point.

People with dogsin other words, he is a little happier only those who do not have pets. Those who are in the chat team, on the other hand, are significantly less happy only those who do not have pets. And having both seems to cancel a derogation in terms of happiness. (Since someone is obliged to ask, it is not possible to do this same type of badysis, for example with owners of rabbits, lizards or fishbecause there are not enough people in the survey to make a statistically valid sample).

These differences are quite large: happiness gap enter owners of dogs and cats it is wider than that of people who identify as belonging to the middle and upper clbades, and almost as large as the gap between those who say they are in a "fair" situation rather than "good or excellent".

However, the correlation is not equal to chance and there are probably other differences. The General Social Survey show that dog owners, For example, they have more likely to get married and owners of their own homes as cat owners, both factors affect happiness and satisfaction with life.

Previous research on this topic has yielded mixed results. In 2006, El Pew Research Center did not find any significant differences in the happiness among animal owners and those who they do not have any animals, or the owners of dogs and cats. However, this survey was not divided between people who owned "only" a dog or a cat and those who owned "either" a dog or a cat, which could blur the distinctions between exclusive owners of dogs and cats.

A 2016 study on dog and cat owners, on the other hand, higher happiness ratings for the dog owners compared to people with cats. The contrast has been attributed, at least in part, to personality differences: Dog owners tended to be nicer, more outgoing and less neurotic than cat owners. And a 2015 study linked the presence of a cat at home with less negative emotions, but not necessarily an increase in positives.

Other research argues that some of the relations between the pet and happiness They are casual, at least as far as dogs are concerned. A 2013 study revealed, for example, that dog owners are more likely to participate in outdoor physical activities that people who do not have dogs, with obvious health benefits and happiness.

The survey also showed that the dog owners are more likely than other people to to make friends with people in their neighborhoods, according to the random encounters that occur when they go out for walk with your pets. These social connections probably contribute to improving the well-being of dog owners.

The General Social Survey He also asked several questions about how people interact with their pets and the answers can also explain some of the gaps of happiness. Dog owners, for example, are more likely to search the the comfort of your pet in moments of stress, play with your pet and consider it as a member of your family. These differences suggest a stronger social connection with its mascots, which could create a greater sense of well-being.

By moving away from the data, cat owners can protest that the property is not at all a "happiness": there is something in the cats which is grander and mysterious, something that can not be captured in an opinion poll.

"A cat has an absolute emotional honesty", as expressed by Ernest Hemingway. "Humans, for one reason or another, can hide their feelings, but not a cat."