I recently read an article in the Huffington Post that talked about a 'new study' that was conducted to find out who was smarter, dog people or cat people. I always question these studies, and ask questions like, who paid for it, and what did they want to find out, and why? Who actually benefits from this study? As someone who loves both dogs and cats, (we have dogs, no cats, only because my husband is allergic) my intellectual abilities were not in danger, so I read on.
The survey, based on the findings of 600 college students, found that cat people tended to be introverts and therefore stayed home and read a book with their cat curled up in their laps. They were also considered to be more open-minded than dog lovers and more sensitive, tending to be non-conformists and people who did not follow the rules. Dog people were more extroverted, getting out to walk their dogs and socialize more with others. They were more outgoing and tended to follow the rules more closely (not sure how that conclusion was made.) Dog lovers were looking for companionship from their pets and cat lovers wanted affection. People may also choose pets based on their own personalities. Cats are seen as more independent and keep to themselves.
This study sounds more to me like it is determining not so much if cat people are "smarter" than dog people but if cat people are more introverted than dog people. And based on what I read in this article and the findings that they shared, I would say that is a yes! Also, one would have to wonder, do these findings change once we leave college?
(Yes, he is on top of a cabinet, head next to the ceiling - looks pretty introverted to me!)