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A UCLA study found no evidence to support the stereotype of the “crazy cat lady”. The study also showed that pet owners are more likely to empathize with animals in distress. Cat owners are more introverted and women tend to find men who own cats to be nicer and more sensitive.
Even though cats outnumber dogs when it comes to pets, people who own more than one feline are always at risk of being judged different. But a UCLA study appears to have finally put an end to the notion of the “crazy cat lady.” Researchers compared the mental health of 500 pet owners and found no evidence that people who prefer purring pets are more likely to suffer from depression or social anxiety. “We found no evidence to support the ‘cat lady’ stereotype,” the study reported. The 2019 UCLA study supports the findings of a similar study conducted at University College London in 2017 which determined that there is no link between psychosis and cat ownership. The UCLA study also evaluated people’s reactions to the sound of an animal in distress and found that pet owners are more likely to empathize and feel sadness when hearing such sounds. “We found several subtle differences between how adults with and without animals generally rated animal vocalizations,” the researchers concluded.
What it’s like to own a cat:
Cat owners are 11% more likely to be introverted than other people.
People who love cats tend to find irony and puns amusing, while dogs prefer farce and impressions.
In general, women find men who own cats to be nicer and more sensitive than non-cat owners.
