A new study titled “Is Happiness a Warm Puppy?  Examining the Relationships Between Pets and Well-Being set out to prove, amongst other things, that dog lovers are generally happier than cat lovers.  The total goal of the study was to investigate being a pet parent, and if people that do have pets live longer and are happier.

Ultimately, the study out of Manhattanville College in New York ended up showing no real difference in “quality of life” between those with, and those without pets.  They measured levels of happiness, positive emotions, negative emotions and major personality traits.  It turns out there is little to no difference between the two groups at all.

The only real differences found out were pet owners had a slightly higher number in the “more satisfied with life” category, and dog parents scored higher than cat parents an all measures of well-being.  So basically, dog parents are slightly happier in life than cat parents.

According to the published results,   “It’s unclear whether the lack of differences between pet owners and non-owners are due to adaptation to pet ownership or if pets do not have a strong effect on well-being.  Dog owners were happier than cat owners, which can be partially explained by personality, emotion regulation style, and need satisfaction.”

So there you have it.  Scientific proof that dog lovers are happier than cat lovers!