Life

Dog Vs. Cat People, According To Facebook Habits

by Megan Grant
Shiba Inu relaxing with his owner in the hammock
Petko Ninov/E+/Getty Images

I talk to my dog more than I talk to most humans. I have countless pictures of him in my phone. I love kissing his cheeks, and he enjoys sitting on my face when we watch TV. I rarely post on Facebook, but when I do, there's a 90 percent chance it's about my dog. And sure enough, Facebook is watching — because it's recently found the difference between cat people and dog people according to their social media usage.

To determine these (somewhat hilarious) differences, Facebook analyzed 160,000 users from the United States who had been sharing photos of their pets. The social media site used its image recognition technology to determine what the animal was, and then grouped people together. From there, it found interesting trends among the cat people and dog people — some of which debunk longstanding myths.

It should be noted that these results are probably best taken with the proverbial grain of salt; there could of course be other factors at play that make cat people alike and dog people alike. But the results are, nonetheless, pretty funny — and you may even find that some of it accurately describes you.

So, if you're a devoted cat or dog parent, here's what Facebook says about what makes us different — and whether or not those old stereotypes are true.

1. Anyone Can Be A "Cat Lady"

We're all aware of the "cat lady" trope — the single woman with no lover but three cats. Guess again, people! Facebook found that while cat people are more likely to be single than dog people (30 percent versus 24 percent), it doesn't have anything to do with age or gender. Young men with cats are just as likely to be single as older women with cats. So put that in your pipe and smoke it. (And while you're at it, remind yourself that there's nothing wrong with being not dating anyone, or with having a lot of cats.)

2. Dog People Have More Friends

More Facebook friends, that is. About 26 more of them. But before you get cocky about it, dog people, know that cat people get invited to more events. So, who's more popular now, huh? HUH?

3. Cat People Are Better At Expressing Their Emotions

This is just a tad ironic, yes? Cat people are more likely to say they're feeling tired, happy, and loved. Perhaps truer to the stereotype, dog people are more likely to say they're excited. That makes more sense, since dogs themselves are very excitable creatures. My dog gets excited about everything. He particularly loves socks. And the delivery man.

4. Our Taste In Movies

Cat people like to be indoors more. (Shocker.) They're huge fans of books, TV, and movies. More specifically, even our cinematic preferences differ. Cat people like horror flicks, fantasy, and sci-fi; dog people prefer romance, comedy, and drama.

5. Where We Live

Overwhelmingly, dog people live in more rural areas. That seems like no accident, since dogs do better with space to run, chase, and pee literally anywhere. Cat people, however, are more commonly city dwellers.

Images: Petko Ninov/E+/Getty Images; Giphy (3)