你家養寵物嗎？養的是喵星人還是汪星人？或者，你只是一個「雲養貓/狗」愛好者？
之前有研究稱，養寵物有利於家庭幸福，而且還對寵物主人的事業有幫助。最近又有科學研究證實，養狗人士比養貓人士幸福感更強。
Last year, over 73 million households in Chinese cities were also home to a pet. [Photo/pixabay.com]
In 2018, the General Social Survey for the first time included a battery of questions on pet ownership. The findings not only quantified the nation’s pet population — nearly 6 in 10 households have at least one —they made it possible to see how pet ownership overlaps with all sorts of factors of interest to social scientists.
2018年，美國《綜合社會調查》首次納入一系列關於飼養寵物的問題。其研究結果量化了美國的寵物數量——將近60%家庭至少擁有一隻寵物，也使人們得以一窺飼養寵物與社會學家關心的各種因素之間有哪些交集。
a battery of：一連串，一系列
overlap[əʊvə'læp]：vi.部分重疊；部分的同時發生
Like happiness.
比如幸福感。
For starters, there is little difference between pet owners and non-owners when it comes to happiness, the survey shows. The two groups are statistically indistinguishable on the likelihood of identifying as 「very happy」 (a little over 30 percent) or 「not too happy」 (in the mid-teens).
調查顯示，首先，養寵物的人與不養寵物的人在幸福感方面幾乎毫無區別。在統計學上，這兩個組別在認定自己「非常幸福」的比例（略超過30%）或「不太幸福」的比例（15%左右）方面，幾乎沒有區別。
But when you break the data down by pet type — cats, dogs or both — a stunning divide emerges: Dog owners are about twice as likely as cat owners to say they’re very happy, with people owning both falling somewhere in between.
但是，如果按飼養寵物的種類來細分數據（養貓、養狗或兩者都養），就會出現一個驚人差異：養狗人士認為自己很幸福的可能性是養貓人士的兩倍，而同時養這兩種寵物的人自認幸福的比例則介於兩者之間。
Dog people, in other words, are slightly happier than those without any pets. Those in the cat camp, on the other hand, are significantly less happy than the pet-less. And having both appears to cancel each other out happiness-wise.
換句話說，養狗人士比不養寵物的人要更快樂一些。而養貓人士比不養寵物的人更不快樂。而同時養這兩種寵物會讓這兩種效應抵消。
Alipay, a major mobile payment platform, launches a new service to help stray pets find their way back home, Jan 22, 2019. [Photo/Official Weibo account of Alipay]
These differences are quite large: The happiness divide between dog and cat owners is bigger than the one between people who identify as middle and upper class, and nearly as large as the gap between those who say they’re in 「fair」 versus 「good or excellent」 health.
這些差異非常明顯：養狗人士和養貓人士之間的幸福感差異比中產階層和上流社會之間的幸福感差異還要大，類似於說自己健康「尚可」和「非常或極其健康」之間的差異。
However, correlation doesn’t equal causation, and there are probably a number of other differences between dog and cat owners that account for some of the differences. The General Social Survey data show that dog owners, for instance, are more likely to be married and own their own homes than cat owners, both factors known to affect happiness and life satisfaction.
然而，相關性並不等於因果關係，養狗人士與養貓人士之間的幸福感差異可能還有其他方面的原因。例如，調查顯示，與養貓人士相比，養狗人士已婚並擁有自己住房的可能性較大。一般認為，這兩個因素都會影響幸福感和生活滿意度。
causation [kɔː'zeɪʃ(ə)n]：n.原因；因果關係
Previous research on this topic yielded mixed results. In 2006, the Pew Research Center found no significant differences in happiness between pet owners and non-pet owners, or cat and dog owners. However, that survey did not distinguish between people who owned 「only」 a dog or a cat, and those who owned 「either」 a dog or a cat, potentially muddying the distinctions between exclusive dog and cat owners.
此前關於這一問題的研究得出了複雜的結果。2006年，皮尤研究中心發現，養寵物的人和不養寵物的人，以及養狗人士和養貓人士之間的幸福感沒有明顯不同。然而，該項研究沒有區分「只有」一隻狗或一隻貓，以及養了一隻狗或者一隻貓的人們，這可能會把只養了狗和只養了貓的人們之間的區別搞混。
A 2016 study of dog and cat owners, on the other hand, yielded greater happiness ratings for dog owners relative to cat people. It attributed the contrast, at least in part, to differences in personality: Dog owners tended to be more agreeable, more extroverted and less neurotic than cat owners. And a 2015 study linked the presence of a cat in the home to fewer negative emotions, but not necessarily an increase in positive ones.
另一方面，2016年關於養狗人士和養貓人士的一項研究得出結論稱，養狗人士的幸福感比養貓人士更強，部分原因是個性的不同：相比而言，養狗人士更加和藹可親、更外向、更不易神經質。2015年的一項研究認為，養貓人士更少出現負面情緒，但不一定會導致積極情緒的增加。
neurotic [njʊə'rɒtɪk]：adj.神經過敏的；神經病的
Three stray cats wander at the Wofo Temple in Beijing, Feb 26, 2018. [Photo/VCG]
Other research makes the case that some of the pet-happiness relationship is causal, at least when it comes to canines. A 2013 study found, for instance, that dog owners are more likely to engage in outdoor physical activity than people who don’t own dogs, with obvious benefits for health and happiness.
另有一項研究證實，寵物與幸福感之間的某些聯繫是有因果關係的，至少對養狗來說是這樣。例如，2013年的一項研究發現，與不養狗的人們相比，養狗人士更可能參與戶外運動，這顯然對健康和幸福感有好處。
Research also has shown that dog owners are more likely than other folks to form friendships with people in their neighborhoods on the basis of the random encounters that happen when they’re out walking their pets. Those social connections likely contribute to greater well-being among dog owners.
調查還顯示，養狗人士更可能在遛狗時與社區裡偶遇的遛狗人成為朋友。這種社交聯繫可能會給他們帶來更強烈的幸福感。
The General Social Survey also asked a number of questions about how people interact with their pets, and the answers may also explain some of the happiness gap. Dog owners, for instance, are more likely to seek comfort from their pet in times of stress, more likely to play with their pet, and more likely to consider their pet a member of their family. Those differences suggest a stronger social bond with their pets, which could create a greater sense of well-being.
《綜合社會調查》還詢問了一些關於人們與寵物互動的問題，這些答案或許可以解釋幸福感的某些差異。例如，養狗人士更有可能在承受壓力時向寵物尋求安慰、更有可能與寵物玩耍，也更有可能將寵物視為家庭一員。這些差異表明，他們與寵物間的社交紐帶更緊密，而這可以帶來更強的幸福感。
Stepping away from the data, cat owners might protest that ownership isn’t about 「happiness」 at all: There’s something about felines that is grander and more mysterious — something that can’t be captured in a public opinion poll.
拋開這些數據不談，養貓人士可能會辯稱養貓根本不是為了「幸福」。貓身上有更偉大更神秘的特質---公開的民意調查無法捕捉到的特質。
「A cat has absolute emotional honesty,」 as Ernest Hemingway put it. 「Human beings, for one reason or another, may hide their feelings, but a cat does not.」
正如歐內斯特-海明威所說：「貓在情感方面絕對誠實，人類往往由於某種原因隱藏自己的感情，而貓卻不會。」
來源：中國日報網英語點津 編輯：許雅寧