You will know how important it is to choose good profile photos if you have used dating apps.The photos don't just convey attractiveness, but 43% of people believe they can sense a person's personality from their pictures. It is possible to guess that someone who includes a photo of them hiking is outdoorsy.As scientists studying human-animal interactions we wanted to find out what this meant for male cat owners, and pet owners in general.What effect will a photo of you and your cat have on your potential suitors?Studies have shown that women judge potential male partners based on their pet ownership. The results revealed that women prefer men with pets to men with dogs. However, they are more likely to favor those with cats than those without pets.We reasoned that men who are pictured with cats might be more attractive and desirable to women than those who don't pose with animals.We recruited 1,388 heterosexual American females aged 18-24 to complete an anonymous online survey. We presented the women with photos of either one of two young white men, in their 20s, posing with a cat or alone. We randomly selected which photo the women saw first to avoid biasing their responses. Each participant could only rate one man with or without a cat.We asked participants to rate each man in a photo based on his personality traits, such as masculinity, femininity, and dateability. We also asked women whether they were a cat or dog person.Shelly Volsche, Lori Kagan, AuthorThe majority of women thought that men with cats were less attractive to them than their male counterparts. We were surprised by this result, as previous studies had shown women to be more open to men who have pets. The men who held cats thought that the cats were more extroverted, neurotic, open-minded and agreeable than those who did not. They also thought these men were less masculine.Continue the storyThis may be the reason for our conclusions.Research has shown that women are drawn to masculine men, both in physical appearance and behavior. Our study showed that women prefer photos of men alone to be more masculine and dateable, supporting the notion that women will seek out clues that relate to masculinity in determining their dateability.Old cultural norms could be a factor in these responses, we suspect. Research has shown that homosexuality and male femininity are still connected. Cats are often associated with female owners, so posing with cats might have been a common trope among women who took our survey. Despite popular media efforts to raise the status of male cat owners,Perhaps male cat owners are perceived as more introverted, neurotic, open-minded, and extroverted than they actually are.It is important to remember that women's perceptions of cat and dog owners are affected by their gender. The perceptions of women who identify themselves as cat lovers were more likely to be drawn to men with cats, or to say that they have no preference.Daily deep knowledge. Subscribe to The Conversations newsletter.Our research has limitations, just like any other type of research. Our sample is very specific, and consists of a small group of heterosexual women aged 18-24 years old, living in the United States. These results wouldn't change if we asked bisexual, gender-fluent women, men interested to men, or people from other cultural backgrounds.That's the best thing. This area of research is still in its infancy and only one of many studies that could be done on the relationship between pet ownership, first impressions of dating apps, and pet ownership. We have a lot of work ahead.In the meantime, heterosexual men looking for a match might want to save their photos of their feline friends for their first or second date.This article was republished by The Conversation, a non-profit news site that shares ideas from academic experts. It was written and edited by Lori Kogan, Colorado State University, and Shelly Volsche (Boise State University).Continue reading:The authors are not affiliated with any company or organization that could benefit from this article. They have not disclosed any relevant affiliations.
