Facebook explored stereotypes regarding dog and cat lovers

A lot of stereotypes come along with our preferences for dogs or cats. But what does statistical data say about all these prejudices? Are all dog lovers really so sociable and friendly? And all those who love cats, are lonely, angry hermits who spend all their free time on the Internet?

Features of the study

Facebook contains a huge amount of data on 1.7 billion people from all over the world. These data include their preferences in life, from interests and tastes to social circles and family. Not so long ago, researchers decided to use this data to get an idea of one of the largest divisions in society: the differences between people who love dogs and cats.

Researchers analyzed profiles of about 160 thousand people using artificial intelligence for object recognition. This AI was originally designed to help blind people use Facebook. The software recognized the image and explained its contents with the help of automated text-to-speech. This artificial intelligence chose photos that users shared on which were depicted cats, dogs or both animals. Then these data were used to divide users into two groups: dog or cat lovers. Then the scientists compared this with the information provided by the user on his page - photos, friends and events.

Social life

First of all, dog lovers, as a rule, had more friends. Users who exhibited photos of dogs had an average of 26 friends more than cat lovers. Nevertheless, cat lovers were more often invited to any events.

In the case of cat lovers, prejudices and stereotypes were partially confirmed. They really were more often alone. About 30% of the analyzed users, who love cats, were alone, compared to 24% of dog lovers. However, not all lovers of cats are single elderly women. Unlike stereotypes, loneliness and love for cats have nothing to do with sex or age. Among men and young people there are as many cat lovers as among single elderly ladies.

Preferences

Analyzed data also gives an insight into the tastes of each group. Researchers used information about books, TV shows and films that users prefer. In general, cat people have been able to penetrate more books, television shows and films than dog people. Researchers attribute this to the fact that the latter prefer a more active activity. Cat lovers also show more interest in fantasy, anime and science fiction, they are interested in Pokémon, Doctor Who, Star Trek, Dracula, Hobbit and Alien. At the same time, dog lovers prefer melodramas, dramas and reality shows.

Emotions

Also, researchers drew attention to how people in both groups express their emotions. Cat people were able to express a wider range of feelings right away, namely happiness, fatigue, irritation and sadness. People-dogs, as a rule, restrain their emotions and most often on Facebook express only pride or delight.