“It’s not you, it’s me,” the dreaded phrase used to soften the blow when ending a failed relationship. But when it comes to the relationship we have with our pets, science is pulling no punches: it’s us.

A recent study from Queen’s University, Belfast, has provided new insights into how an owner’s personality influences the strength of the attachment they have to their pet. By analysing personality traits from the traditional ‘Big Five‘, and lesser studied ‘Dark Triad‘, the findings revealed that high levels of pet attachment are related to personality traits linked to poorer psychological health.

Like with children, attachment can be used to describe the strong bond between a pet and their owner. However, unlike child attachment, previous research has painted an unclear picture of whether stronger attachment is related to better or poorer mental health. One factor that may muddy the waters, but is often overlooked, is the influence of the owner’s personality, with investigation into personality traits related to social deficit being entirely absent.

New study into owner personality

The study recruited 938 cat and dog owners from around the globe to participate in a survey which captured information about their sociodemographic background, pet ownership status, the strength of their pet-owner bond, and personality.

To tap into a person’s personality, the study used two psychometric tests: the Big Five Personality Scale-Short, which captures five aspects of personality (openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness & neuroticism), and the Short Dark Triad, which captures three negative personality traits (Machiavellianism, narcissism & psychopathy). Narcissism is characterised by grandiosity, a need for admiration and a lack of empathy. Machiavellianism, named after Niccolò Machiavelli, highlights a deceitful and self-interested interpersonal approach with little regard for morality. And psychopathy, involves a lack of empathy and remorse, a propensity for bold and impulsive behaviours, and is often associated with antisocial tendencies.

Impact of personality traits

The findings uncovered a complex tapestry of interrelated personality dimensions within and across both personality scales. Neuroticism and conscientiousness were found to be positively related with stronger pet bonds, suggesting that individuals with higher levels of these traits might experience more profound emotional connections with their pets.

Machiavellianism was found to be only weakly positively related to pet attachment, but other Dark Triad traits did not predict the strength of the bond, suggesting that while these traits influence interpersonal human relationships, they may not extend similarly into human-animal bonds.

Attachment, a double-edged sword

The traits neuroticism and Machiavellianism have been linked to poorer mental health outcomes, whilst conscientiousness is associated with better mental health—demonstrating that high levels of pet attachment can indeed be related to better and poorer mental health.

The results also highlighted demographic factors influencing pet attachment. Women, individuals over 50, and those with dependent children tended to report stronger bonds with their pets, pointing to the influence of caregiving roles and life stages on pet relationships. Dog owners reported higher attachment levels than cat owners, which could reflect the different social behaviours and needs of these species—so maybe it’s not all us!

Research takeaway

This research contributes to a nuanced understanding of how personality influences our relationships with pets. While high attachment levels are often viewed positively, they are associated with personality traits linked to psychological ill-health. This double-edged sword suggests that while pets can offer immense emotional support, the nature of the attachment could also reflect underlying psychological challenges.

Key study findings:

• Neuroticism and conscientiousness were found to be positively related to stronger pet bonds
• Machiavellian was found to be only weakly positively related to pet attachment
• Other Dark Triad traits did not predict the strength of the pet bond