Pets are very important to us humans, the majority of them live within our homes as part of our families. They are that important to us that they can determine our potential partners in life, according to a new study by Gray et al. (2015).
Using survey data from American’s using Match.com, they found that we prioritise how our ‘matches’ will interact with our fluffy (or non-fluffy) companions. Women tended to place more importance on this interaction than did men. Also, they found cats and dogs to be the most common pets and that out of the two, dogs were used more commonly as social indicators.
So, if you are on a dating site and happen to love animals (especially dogs) you will probably be more successful in finding a good human companion.
Gray, P. B., Volsche, S. L., Garcia, J. R., & Fisher, H. E. (2015). The Roles of Pet Dogs and Cats in Human Courtship and Dating. Anthrozoös, 28(4), 673-683.
