Dogs are a man’s best friend—and new research has shown that this friendship can actually influence man’s personality.
A new study published in Social Indicators Research suggests that owning a dog comes with its own distinct human personality traits, including extroversion, agreeability and a lack of neuroticism. Beyond this, the study also showed that owning a dog, or even a cat, significantly boosts human life satisfaction and well-being, to a degree comparable to the impact of family and friends.
Newsweek spoke to a therapist and psychiatrist about the study and what personality traits we can expect as dog owners.
The University of Kent-led research utilized the “life satisfaction approach”—a methodology that determines the “price” of different life factors—to estimate that the companionship of cats and dogs is worth up to £70,000 per year in life satisfaction to their owners. This aligns with findings that, for a representative person in Great Britain, marriage can be worth around £70,000 a year compared to being single.
While the mental and physical health benefits of owning pets have been widely acknowledged in the past, this particular study focused on their direct contribution to life satisfaction—an area where previous research had lacked evidence.
The paper also delved into personality traits linked to pet ownership, revealing that cat carers were found to be more open and conscientious, whereas dog carers appear to be more extroverted, agreeable and less neurotic. More broadly: “Pet carers in general appear to be more open, conscientious and extroverted than non-pet carers.”
Dr. Adelina Gschwandtner, who led the research at Kent’s School of Economics, Politics and International Relations, alongside Dr. Michael Gmeiner at the London School of Economics, stated in a press release: “This research answers the question whether overall pet companions are good for us with a resounding ‘yes.’ Pets care for us and there is a significant monetary value associated with their companionship.”
‘Dogs Can Pull Us out of Our Heads’
Newsweek spoke about the study’s findings with Dr. Ashwini Nadkarni, assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.
She highlighted that “research shows that…certain personality types are drawn to dogs, and dogs also change us. For instance, dogs have been shown to help people develop self-confidence, confidence in others, empathy toward others and a positive mood.”
Dr. Nadkarni further elaborated on the methodology of this particular study, explaining that it estimated the monetary value of pets for their human caregivers using the life satisfaction approach.
She pointed out a key strength of the research. “The authors also showed that owning a pet actually causes higher life satisfaction, as opposed to people who are already happier being more likely to own a pet,” she said. This causal analysis, she said, sets it apart from many studies that rely only on correlation.
Dr. Aerial Cetnar, licensed therapist and founder at Boulder Therapy & Wellness, also spoke to Newsweek about why dog owners might exhibit certain traits.
“Dog ownership tends to require regular social engagement that happens through chatting with other dog walkers, visiting parks, people approaching to say hello to your dog or attending training classes,” she noted.
On the question of whether personality types are drawn to dogs or if dogs influence personality, Dr. Cetnar said it’s “likely a bit of both.”
“People with more extroverted, nurturing or conscientious tendencies might initially feel more drawn to dogs,” she said. “But research also shows that human–animal relationships can influence our behavior and emotions over time. For example, caring for a dog can help someone build routine, become more active or even feel more emotionally attuned. Dogs can pull us out of our heads and into the moment, which may encourage social behaviors and a sense of connection.”
The post What Owning a Dog Says About You, According to a Psychotherapist appeared first on Newsweek.
