Author: Matt Davis / Source: Big Think
- Prior research and statistical evidence suggests that dogs are more popular than cats as pets. Why?
- Research from the New York Institute of Technology says that it has to do with a concept called psychological ownership.
- Psychological ownership has several sources, but the study found that people felt more psychological ownership over dogs than cats due to a sense that dogs are more controllable.
There’s no way to say this without making some people upset: When looking for a four-legged companion, most humans prefer dogs over cats. Studies have shown that self-identified dog people tend to be less neurotic, less likely to suppress their emotions, and tend to have overall higher scores of wellbeing than cat people. Young children significantly prefer dogs over cats. And in the U.S., 60.2 million households have a dog, while about 47.1 million have cats.
In a new paper titled, “Dogs have masters, cats have staff: Consumers’ psychological ownership and their economic valuation of pets,” Dr. Colleen Kirk of the New York Institute of Technology explains why this discrepancy exists. It has to do with the degree of psychological ownership we feel toward our pets.
Rather than legal ownership, psychological ownership refers to what we feel to be ours. You could, for instance, have a favorite booth that you like to sit in at a neighborhood restaurant. If somebody were to be sitting there when you walked in, you might feel annoyed; obviously, they have the right to sit there, but that’s your booth!
We feel the same way about pets. We treat pets like family, but we also treat them like living possessions. A sense of psychological ownership comes from two primary sources: self-investment, which differs from financial investment and deals more with the time and energy we devote to something; and control. When we can control something, we tend to feel that it belongs to us. Typically, this works with physical objects. Cars, for example, are only controlled by the owner. Nobody feels that they “own” a car they can’t even unlock. Importantly, psychological ownership is connected to an emotional attachment to the target as well.
Through a series…
The post Why do people prefer dogs over cats? They’re more controllable, study finds. appeared first on FeedBox.