New Research Reveals The Personality Trait That Predicts Whether You Will Seek Out A Cat When Stressed

A study published in the journal Anthrozoös, conducted by researchers at Washington State University and KU Leuven in Belgium, has identified the personality trait most likely to predict whether someone will seek out a cat for stress relief rather than a dog, and the answer has a name: emotionality. Researchers surveyed more than 1,400 university students and staff across more than 20 institutions, and found that people who score high in emotionality, a well-established dimension of the Big Five personality model that measures how intensely a person experiences their emotions and how readily they react to them, were significantly more interested in interacting with cats during campus stress relief programs than those who scored lower. The finding held up even after accounting for whether someone was already a cat owner, whether they identified as female, and whether they were also interested in dog-based programs. Co-author Professor Patricia Pendry of Washington State University said that emotionality is a stable and consistent feature of personality, and that people at the higher end of that scale were far more drawn to cats on campus than anyone had previously documented.

The study emerged partly because more than 85 percent of university animal-assisted intervention programs, including popular events like stress-relief therapy dog days, include only dogs, leaving a significant portion of the student population underserved by a format that was never really designed for them. Separate research from the Cornell Feline Health Center has found that petting a cat lowers cortisol levels and can reduce heart rate, with some studies showing the calming effect arrives more quickly than it does with dogs for people who already prefer cats. The researchers also found that university staff, who are commonly excluded from these programs despite facing comparable stress levels, expressed strong interest in participating if cats were included. Pendry said the practical implication is clear: adding cats to campus stress programs is not just feasible, it may be exactly what the students who need it most are already asking for.

Source:https://dailygalaxy.com/2026/05/cats-stress-relief-emotional-people-study/