宠物学家（心中的梦想）？宠物学家（心中的梦想）？对于我来说，这似乎是一个永远无法实现的梦想。 我仍然坚持着，因为我深深热爱着动物，特别是宠物。他们是我们最好的伙伴，陪伴我们度过了许多美好的时光。作为一名宠物学家，我希望能够更深入地了解动物的生态环境、行为习惯和健康状况，为宠物的健康和幸福做出更多的贡献。

之前有研究称，养宠物有利于家庭幸福，而且还对宠物主人的事业有帮助。最近又有科学研究证实，养狗人士比养猫人士幸福感更强。

Last year, over 73 million households in Chinese cities were also home to a pet. [Photo/pixabay ]

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.

201。集交些哪有8年，美国《综合社会调查》首次纳入一系列关于饲养宠物的问题。其研究结果量化了美国的宠物数量——将近60%家庭至少拥有一只宠物，也使我们得以一窥饲养宠物与社会学家关心的各种因素之间有哪些交集。

a battery of：一连串，一系列

overlap[əʊvə\'læp]：vi.部分重叠；部分的同时发生

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).

调查显示， 养宠物的人与不养宠物的人在幸福感方面几乎毫无区别。在统计学上，这两个组别在认定自己“非常幸福”的比例或“不太幸福”的比例方面，几乎没有区别。

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.

如果按饲养宠物的种类来细分数据，就会出现一个惊人差异：养狗人士认为自己很幸福的可能性是养猫人士的两倍，而同时养这两种宠物的人自认幸福的比例则介于两者之间。

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.

换句话说，养狗人士比不养宠物的人要更快乐一些。而养猫人士比不养宠物的人更不快乐。而同时养这两种宠物会让这两种效应抵消。

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.

这些差异非常明显：养狗人士和养猫人士之间的幸福感差异比中产阶层和上流社会之间的幸福感差异还要大，类似于说自己健康“尚可”和“非常或极其健康”之间的差异。

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.

相关性并不等于因果关系，养狗人士与养猫人士之间的幸福感差异可能还有其他方面的原因。例如，调查显示，与养猫人士相比，养狗人士已婚并拥有自己住房的可能性较大。一般认为，这两个因素都会影响幸福感和生活满意度。

causation [kɔː\'zeɪʃ(ə)n]：n.原因；因果关系

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.

此前关于这一问题的研究得出了复杂的结果。2006年，皮尤研究中心发现，养宠物的人和不养宠物的人，以及养狗人士和养猫人士之间的幸福感没有明显不同。 该项研究没有区分“只有”一只狗或一只猫，以及养了一只狗或者一只猫的我们，这可能会把只养了狗和只养了猫的我们之间的区别搞混。

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年关于养狗人士和养猫人士的一项研究得出结论称，养狗人士的幸福感比养猫人士更强，部分原因是个性的不同：相比而言，养狗人士更加和蔼可亲、更外向、更不易神经质。2015年的一项研究认为，养猫人士更少出现负面情绪，但不一定会导致积极情绪的增加。

neurotic [njʊə\'rɒtɪk]：adj.神经过敏的；神经病的

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.

另有一项研究证实，宠物与幸福感之间的某些联系是有因果关系的，至少对养狗来说是这样。例如，2013年的一项研究发现，与不养狗的我们相比，养狗人士更可能参与户外运动，这显然对健康和幸福感有好处。

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.

调查还显示，养狗人士更可能在遛狗时与社区里偶遇的遛狗人成为朋友。这种社交联系可能会给他们带来更强烈的幸福感。

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.

《综合社会调查》还询问了一些关于我们与宠物互动的问题，这些答案或许可以解释幸福感的某些差异。例如，养狗人士更有可能在承受压力时向宠物寻求安慰、更有可能与宠物玩耍，也更有可能将宠物视为家庭一员。这些差异表明，他们与宠物间的社交纽带更紧密，而这可以带来更强的幸福感。

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.

抛开这些数据不谈，养猫人士可能会辩称养猫根本不是为了“幸福”。猫身上有更伟大更神秘的特质---公开的民意调查无法捕捉到的特质。

“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.”

正如欧内斯特-海明威所说：“猫在情感方面绝对诚实，人类往往由于某种原因隐藏自己的感情，而猫却不会。”

来源：华盛顿邮报、参考消息网

翻译&编辑：yaning

来源：国内日报网

宠物学家（心中的梦想）

每个人的内心都有一个梦想，它可能是做一个音乐家，或者是成为一位作家。而在我的内心深处，我一直以来的梦想就是成为一名宠物学家。宠物学家，即研究和了解动物行为、保健、训练等方面知识的专业人士。在这篇文章中，我将带领大家探索宠物学家这个职业的种种魅力，并分享一些关于如何实现这个梦想的建议。

正文

种类1：动物行为研究

作为一名宠物学家，对于动物行为的研究是非常重要的。我们需要观察和分析不同动物在各种环境下表现出来的行为模式，并尝试找出其中某些规律。例如，我们可以研究狗在不同情绪状态下表现出来的姿态和声音，进而推测其内心所感受到的情感变化。通过这样的研究，我们可以更好地理解和与动物进行沟通。

建议1：观察与记录

要想进行动物行为研究，观察与记录是必不可少的。作为宠物学家，我们应该尽可能多地观察和记录动物的行为，并将这些信息整理成系统化的数据。例如，在日常生活中，我们可以观察家养宠物在不同时间段的活动规律、喜好等，并记录下来。通过这样的观察和记录，我们可以发现一些规律性问题，并逐步加深对动物行为背后原因的理解。

种类2：宠物保健

除了对动物行为进行研究外，作为一名宠物学家，我们 要关注宠物的身体健康。这包括了饮食习惯、运动方式、疾病预防等方面的知识。通过了解不同宠物品种和个体之间的差异，以及他们所处环境带来的影响，我们可以给予主人科学合理的建议和指导。

建议2：定期体检

要想保持宠物健康，定期体检是非常重要的。我们应该建议主人每年至少带自己的爱宠去医院进行一次全面体检，以确保其身体健康。我们也可以根据宠物的种类和特点，向主人提供一些合适的饮食搭配和运动方式建议，以保持宠物在良好状态。

种类3：宠物训练

除了关注动物行为和身体健康外，作为一名宠物学家，我们 要掌握一定的宠物训练技巧。通过训练，我们可以帮助主人培养出友善、听话又懂事的爱宠。

建议3：正面强化

在进行宠物训练时，正面强化是非常有效的方法。我们应该鼓励主人使用奖励来增强宠物对于正确行为的喜爱，并及时给予表扬和奖励。例如，在狗狗学会了某项指令后，及时给予零食或玩具等奖励。这样不仅能够加深主人与爱宠之间的感情，还可以让训练过程变得更加愉快。

......（其他种类）

段落：

通过本文对于宠物学家这个职业的介绍与解析，相信大家对于这个职业有了更深的认识和了解。作为一名宠物学家，我们不仅需要关注动物行为、宠物保健、宠物训练等方面的知识， 要具备观察力、记录能力和沟通能力等多重技能。只有这样，我们才能更好地帮助主人与爱宠建立起良好的互动关系，让更多的爱宠过上快乐健康的生活。