Nice cute cat lovers

Cats are beings we care for and who care for us (or at least we believe they do). And people who invest in this cross-species bonding may see benefits in their human-to-human relationships, as well.

For example, research has found that cat owners are more socially sensitive, trust other people more, and like other people more than people who don’t own pets. If you call yourself a cat person, you’ll tend to think other people like you more compared to someone who is neither a cat or dog person. Meanwhile, even people who watch cat videos feel more supported by others than people who aren’t such big fans of feline digital media.

While these correlations may seem perplexing, it makes sense if you consider cats just one node in your social network.

“Positive feelings about dogs/cats may engender positive feelings about people, or vice-versa,” write Rose Perrine and Hannah Osbourne of Eastern Kentucky University.

When someone—human or animal—makes us feel good and connected, it builds up our capacity for kindness and generosity toward others. As that study of Scottish adolescents found, kids who communicate well with a best friend are more attached to their cats, probably because they spend time playing as a trio.

“Pets appear to act as ‘social catalysts,’ inducing social contact between people,” write U.K. researcher Ferran Marsa-Sambola and his colleagues. “A pet can be accepting, openly affectionate, consistent, loyal, and honest, characteristics that can fulfill a person’s basic need to feel a sense of self-worth and loved.”