Indiana University psychologists, who study how people choose their husbands, have turned their attention to another important relationship:choosing a canine companion. Their study recently found that when it comes to puppy love, the heart doesn't always know what it wants.
The researchers categorized dogs based on 13 characteristics:age, sex, color, size, purebred status, previous training, nervousness, protectiveness, intelligence, irritability, energy level, playfulness and friendliness. They examined the preferences of 1,229 people who visited dogs at an animal shelter, including 145 who decided to undertake adoption.
A similar association has been found in research on speed dating, which has shown that people's stated romantic preferences usually don't match the partners they choose.
While most participants in the dog adoption study reported many of the traits they preferred — with “kindness” being the most popular — they ultimately chose dogs that best matched only a few preferences, such as age and playfulness, suggesting that others, such as color or purebred status, had less influence on decision-making. There was also another parallel with the world of dating. In short:appearance matters.
