Latest news with #personality
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
The science of redesigning your personality
For years, Olga Khazan, a Virginia-based staff writer at The Atlantic, knew she had a big problem: she hated much of her own personality. "I was constantly worried about everything," she said. "Just never living in the moment. And I didn't really like doing anything fun with other people. Just wasn't my thing." How might she function at a party? "I would kind of stand off to myself, and honestly, sometimes just, like, read articles on my phone or just basically not engage," she laughed. Not surprisingly, a lot of folks didn't want to engage with Khazan, either. "One person called me a pressure addict, that I was sort of obsessed with working, and just doing as much work as possible, and never taking a minute to appreciate life," she said. "One person told me that she was kind of afraid of me when we worked together." Predictably, when she took a personality test four years ago, she was off the charts – way off – in neuroticism, or negative emotions … not that she hadn't tried to find help: "This whole time I'd been in therapy," Khazan said. "I had taken different medications. I did yoga. And I did all the self-care things. Nothing was truly working." Frustrated, Khazan set out to do something much more radical: She vowed to redesign her whole personality. "I decided to spend a year trying to change my personality traits," she laughed. Professor Shannon Sauer-Zavala described one's personality as "your characteristic way of thinking, feeling, and behaving. It's how you think about your behavior and how you act." I asked, "I always assumed that once you had reached a certain age, your personality was your personality?" "That really is, I think, the prevailing way to think about personality, but it doesn't line up with our science," Sauer-Zavala replied. Personality science is her specialty, and her research at the University of Kentucky could be a game-changer for how we approach mental health issues. She says data tells us it is possible to scientifically change your personality, and that, with the right intervention, introverts can become extroverts … sloppy people can get neater … slackers can gain ambition … and anxious people can learn to be calm. "In my almost 20 years of treating people with anxiety disorders, I've seen dramatic changes in 12, 16, 20 weeks," Sauer-Zavala said. Step one is a baseline personality test, which asks questions such as: "I sometimes manipulate people into doing what I want." The next step is forcing yourself to act the opposite of how you normally would. If you're shy, make conversations. If you're messy, make the bed. Sauer-Zavala said, "When we make intentional changes to our thinking, our feeling, and our behaviors, and we maintain those changes over time, then we're essentially shifting our personality. We're changing the way we're gonna fill out those bubbles on the personality questionnaire." "So, you consciously adopt the behavior of the personality that you think you want?" I asked. "You make it sound easy." "It's not easy," Sauer-Zavala replied. "The principles are simple, but the execution is difficult." It wasn't easy for Olga Khazan, the lifelong introvert. Among other strategies to tackle her social anxiety, she enrolled in an improv class with total strangers … something completely outside her comfort zone. "I was very, very scared," she said. "Probably for the first three or four months that I did it, my heart was really beating in my chest, and I was deeply uncomfortable." What about it scared her? "I didn't like looking silly!" she laughed. Murphy McHugh, who was Khazan's improv teacher, said, "For me, doing improv was a life-changing thing. I opened up socially. I became a better listener, a better collaborator." He said as Khazan continued coming to class, he noticed changes in her: "Relaxing, a little bit less of the cross-armed body language. You see someone relaxed, you see their shoulders drop. You see them laughing, and coming into scenes with an idea." Along with improv, Khazan meditated, went sailing, took conversation classes, and kept a journal, as she describes in a new book, "Me, But Better: The Science and Promise of Personality Change." "Journaling kind of helps you focus on some of the more positive elements of your life that, if you're very neurotic, you tend to kind of gloss over or forget," she said. I asked, "Is this a case of fake it 'til you make it?" "Yeah, it is fake it 'til you make it," Khazan said. "Because if you think about it, anything is gonna feel fake if it feels new, right? Anything that you're not accustomed to doing is gonna feel really unnatural. But the only way to make it natural is to do it over and over and over again" "And just incorporate it in who you are?" "Exactly." Today, Khazan is happily married, with a 14-month-old baby. As for that personality she once so disliked, she said, "I feel like I am a different person today than I was three years ago. I think I genuinely have a different way of living my life, and approaching problems, than I did before." So, what advice does Shannon Sauer-Zavala have for everyone watching with completely unsatisfactory personalities? "Not to get stuck in a personality-type box," she said. "Think about the life that you want to have, and then know that you can intentionally develop the traits that will facilitate that journey for you." READ AN EXCERPT: "Me, But Better: The Science and Promise of Personality Change" For more info: "Me, But Better: The Science and Promise of Personality Change" by Olga Khazan (S&S/Simon Element), in Hardcover, eBook and Audio formats, available via Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Khazan, The AtlanticShannon Sauer-Zavala, associate professor, Department of Psychology, University of KentuckyDC Arts Center Story produced by Amiel Weisfogel. Editor: Ed Givnish. See also: Introverts and the making of a "Quiet Revolution" ("Sunday Morning") Would you go on a retirement cruise? A Civil War landmark in downtown D.C. Life within Naples' volcanic "red zone" Solve the daily Crossword
CBS News
4 days ago
- Health
- CBS News
The science of redesigning your personality
For years, Olga Khazan, a Virginia-based staff writer at The Atlantic, knew she had a big problem: she hated much of her own personality. "I was constantly worried about everything," she said. "Just never living in the moment. And I didn't really like doing anything fun with other people. Just wasn't my thing." How might she function at a party? "I would kind of stand off to myself, and honestly, sometimes just, like, read articles on my phone or just basically not engage," she laughed. Not surprisingly, a lot of folks didn't want to engage with Khazan, either. "One person called me a pressure addict, that I was sort of obsessed with working, and just doing as much work as possible, and never taking a minute to appreciate life," she said. "One person told me that she was kind of afraid of me when we worked together." Predictably, when she took a personality test four years ago, she was off the charts – way off – in neuroticism, or negative emotions … not that she hadn't tried to find help: "This whole time I'd been in therapy," Khazan said. "I had taken different medications. I did yoga. And I did all the self-care things. Nothing was truly working." Frustrated, Khazan set out to do something much more radical: She vowed to redesign her whole personality. "I decided to spend a year trying to change my personality traits," she laughed. Professor Shannon Sauer-Zavala described one's personality as "your characteristic way of thinking, feeling, and behaving. It's how you think about your behavior and how you act." I asked, "I always assumed that once you had reached a certain age, your personality was your personality?" "That really is, I think, the prevailing way to think about personality, but it doesn't line up with our science," Sauer-Zavala replied. Personality science is her specialty, and her research at the University of Kentucky could be a game-changer for how we approach mental health issues. She says data tells us it is possible to scientifically change your personality, and that, with the right intervention, introverts can become extroverts … sloppy people can get neater … slackers can gain ambition … and anxious people can learn to be calm. "In my almost 20 years of treating people with anxiety disorders, I've seen dramatic changes in 12, 16, 20 weeks," Sauer-Zavala said. Step one is a baseline personality test, which asks questions such as: "I sometimes manipulate people into doing what I want." The next step is forcing yourself to act the opposite of how you normally would. If you're shy, make conversations. If you're messy, make the bed. Sauer-Zavala said, "When we make intentional changes to our thinking, our feeling, and our behaviors, and we maintain those changes over time, then we're essentially shifting our personality. We're changing the way we're gonna fill out those bubbles on the personality questionnaire." "So, you consciously adopt the behavior of the personality that you think you want?" I asked. "You make it sound easy." "It's not easy," Sauer-Zavala replied. "The principles are simple, but the execution is difficult." It wasn't easy for Olga Khazan, the lifelong introvert. Among other strategies to tackle her social anxiety, she enrolled in an improv class with total strangers … something completely outside her comfort zone. "I was very, very scared," she said. "Probably for the first three or four months that I did it, my heart was really beating in my chest, and I was deeply uncomfortable." What about it scared her? "I didn't like looking silly!" she laughed. Murphy McHugh, who was Khazan's improv teacher, said, "For me, doing improv was a life-changing thing. I opened up socially. I became a better listener, a better collaborator." He said as Khazan continued coming to class, he noticed changes in her: "Relaxing, a little bit less of the cross-armed body language. You see someone relaxed, you see their shoulders drop. You see them laughing, and coming into scenes with an idea." Along with improv, Khazan meditated, went sailing, took conversation classes, and kept a journal, as she describes in a new book, "Me, But Better: The Science and Promise of Personality Change." "Journaling kind of helps you focus on some of the more positive elements of your life that, if you're very neurotic, you tend to kind of gloss over or forget," she said. I asked, "Is this a case of fake it 'til you make it?" "Yeah, it is fake it 'til you make it," Khazan said. "Because if you think about it, anything is gonna feel fake if it feels new, right? Anything that you're not accustomed to doing is gonna feel really unnatural. But the only way to make it natural is to do it over and over and over again" "And just incorporate it in who you are?" "Exactly." Today, Khazan is happily married, with a 14-month-old baby. As for that personality she once so disliked, she said, "I feel like I am a different person today than I was three years ago. I think I genuinely have a different way of living my life, and approaching problems, than I did before." So, what advice does Shannon Sauer-Zavala have for everyone watching with completely unsatisfactory personalities? "Not to get stuck in a personality-type box," she said. "Think about the life that you want to have, and then know that you can intentionally develop the traits that will facilitate that journey for you." READ AN EXCERPT: "Me, But Better: The Science and Promise of Personality Change" For more info: Story produced by Amiel Weisfogel. Editor: Ed Givnish. See also:
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
This week on "Sunday Morning" (July 20)
The Emmy Award-winning "CBS News Sunday Morning" is broadcast on CBS Sundays beginning at 9:00 a.m. ET. "Sunday Morning" also streams on the CBS News app beginning at 11:00 a.m. ET. (Download it here.) Hosted by Jane Pauley COVER STORY: The science of redesigning your personalityWriter Olga Khazan was unhappy with the person she was – anxious, obsessed with work, unable to have fun, and constantly worried about things. And when therapy, medications and self-care failed to work for her, Khazan decided a more radical approach was needed: she vowed to redesign her personality. Khazan talks with "Sunday Morning" correspondent Susan Spencer about the surprising steps she took to live outside her comfort zone – a journey she documented in her new book, "Me, But Better: The Science and Promise of Personality Change." Spencer also talks with University of Kentucky professor Shannon Sauer-Zavala about how it's possible to change seemingly intractable personality traits. READ AN EXCERPT: "Me, But Better: The Science and Promise of Personality Change"Atlantic staff writer Olga Khazan, a lifelong introvert, set out to change aspects of her personality she didn't like by forcing herself outside of her comfort zone. How about trying improv comedy? For more info: "Me, But Better: The Science and Promise of Personality Change" by Olga Khazan (S&S/Simon Element), in Hardcover, eBook and Audio formats, available via Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Khazan, The AtlanticShannon Sauer-Zavala, associate professor, Department of Psychology, University of KentuckyDC Arts Center ALMANAC: July 20"Sunday Morning" looks back at historical events on this date. WORLD: Life within Naples' volcanic "red zone"There has been increasing volcanic activity around Naples, Italy (with around two thousand earthquakes in February alone). Just 30 miles west of Mount Vesuvius lies Campi Flegrei, a volcanic caldera that stretches for 125 miles underneath urban areas, where half a million people now live. Correspondent Seth Doane talks with scientists monitoring this activity. For more info: National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology, Italy U.S.: A Civil War landmark in downtown little-known landmark in Washington, D.C., is an inconspicuous building that was the site of a revolutionary effort at the end of the Civil War – one that changed the military ever since – where Clara Barton worked to locate thousands of soldiers missing or dead. Correspondent Falie Salie visits the Clara Barton Missing Soldiers Office Museum. For more info: Clara Barton Missing Soldiers Office Museum, Washington, of Congress Manuscript Reading RoomPhotos and footage courtesy of OLBN and Coronation Media/NMCWM BOOKS: Restaurateur Keith McNally on why he regrets "almost everything"British-born restaurateur Keith McNally opened such popular New York City institutions as the Odeon, Balthazar and Pastis. But a 2016 stroke, which caused immobility and affected his speech, led to a suicide attempt two years later. It also led him to take to social media, and pen an irreverent memoir, "I Regret Almost Everything." He talks with correspondent Mo Rocca about overcoming public embarrassment about his condition, and the importance of having a hamburger on the menu. READ AN EXCERPT: "I Regret Almost Everything: A Memoir" by Keith McNally For more info: "I Regret Almost Everything: A Memoir" by Keith McNally (Simon & Schuster), in Hardcover, eBook and Audio formats, available via Amazon, Barnes & Noble and McNally on InstagramBalthazar, New YorkThe Odeon, New YorkPastis, New YorkMinetta Tavern, New YorkMorandi, New York PASSAGE: In memoriam"Sunday Morning" remembers some of the notable figures who left us this week. TV: Bridget Everett on how she ended up as "Somebody, Somewhere"Actress and cabaret star Bridget Everett put her hometown of Manhattan, Kansas, on the map with "Somebody, Somewhere." Everett was a writer, producer and lead actor in the Peabody Award-winning HBO series about a Midwestern woman returning home and working through grief. Correspondent Luke Burbank visited Everett in Manhattan, to talk about her surreal journey, and about a show whose characters can be hopeless and hopeful in the same moment. For more info: Somewhere" (HBO/Max)Thanks to Joe's Pub, New York City, and The Chef, Manhattan, Kansas HARTMAN: The Carousel of HappinessWhile under fire during the height of the Vietnam War, Marine Corporal Scott Harrison got through those dark days thanks in no small part to a vision he had, of a carousel in a mountain meadow. Years later, he bought a broken-down carousel, and made his vision a reality. Today, in Nederland, Colorado, his non-profit Carousel of Happiness is on a mission to spread joy. Correspondent Steve Hartman reports. For more info: The Carousel of Happiness, Nederland, Colo. TV: What shocked "Matlock" star Kathy Bates?Academy Award-winning actress Kathy Bates, who sat down with Turner Classic Movies host Ben Mankiewicz to talk about some of her most memorable stage and screen roles, from "Misery" to "Matlock," learned a startling fact about her relationship with her mother the night she won the Oscar. (Originally broadcast Oct. 6, 2024.) For more info: "Matlock" on CBS and Paramount+ THESE UNITED STATES: Yellowstone National ParkCorrespondent Conor Knighton reflects on the American treasure whose preservation as our first national park inspired similar conservation efforts around the globe. For more info: Yellowstone National Park (National Park Service) MUSIC: Conductor Herbert Blomstedt, a man who has cheated timeHerbert Blomstedt is still conducting major symphony orchestras around the world at the age of 98. And as correspondent Martha Teichner reports, he plans to continue doing so past 100 because, he says, "I have gifts I have to live up to." For more info: Herbert Blomstedt, New York Philharmonic Footage courtesy of: Boston Symphony Photos courtesy of: Royal Stockholm Philharmonic OrchestraSveriges Radio ©Chicago Symphony Orchestra/Todd Rosenberg Photography COMMENTARY: Former Obama speechwriter David Litt on finding neutral ground"Common ground" may be increasingly difficult to find in a time when everything seems political. Instead, David Litt, a former speechwriter for President Barack Obama, suggests finding "neutral ground" with others – a place to spend time together focused on something other than our differences. Surfing, he found, is a good option. For more info: "It's Only Drowning: A True Story of Learning to Surf and the Search for Common Ground" by David Litt (Gallery Books), in Hardcover, eBook and Audio formats, available via Amazon, Barnes & Noble and CALENDAR: Week of July 21 Photo: Red Ants Pants Music Festival: Thanks to Gloria Goñi NATURE: TBD WEB EXCLUSIVES: FROM THE ARCHIVES: Songwriters Alan and Marilyn Bergman (YouTube Video)Alan Bergman, part of the songwriting team of Alan and Marilyn Bergman (who created Oscar-winning lyrics for "The Thomas Crown Affair," "The Way We Were," and "Yentl"), died Thursday, July 17, 2025, at age 99. In this "Sunday Morning" profile that originally aired March 7, 2010, the Bergmans talked with correspondent Nancy Giles about writing for Barbra Streisand; and what a good collaboration and a good marriage have in common. FROM THE ARCHIVES: Martin Cruz Smith on writing mysteries (Video)Martin Cruz Smith, author of such bestsellers as "Gorky Park" and "Polar Star," died on July 11, 2025, at age 82. In this "Sunday Morning" profile that aired Oct. 20, 2002, Smith talked with correspondent Anthony Mason about how he continued writing mysteries featuring Moscow detective Arkady Renko, despite being blacklisted by the Soviet Union. He also discussed the "boring" aspects of writing, and the research he conducted in Japan for his novel "December 6," set in Tokyo on the eve of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Notable Deaths MARATHON: Fun 'n' Games (YouTube Video)Enjoy these classic "Sunday Morning" features about gaming, from board and tile games, to bizarre new games that might not catch on. MARATHON: Pieces of history (YouTube Video)In this compilation, "CBS Sunday Morning" delves into the pages of history, from the fall of Saigon to the reconstruction of the Notre Dame Cathedral. The Emmy Award-winning "CBS News Sunday Morning" is broadcast on CBS Sundays beginning at 9:00 a.m. ET. Executive producer is Rand Morrison. DVR Alert! Find out when "Sunday Morning" airs in your city "Sunday Morning" also streams on the CBS News app beginning at 11:00 a.m. ET. (Download it here.) Full episodes of "Sunday Morning" are now available to watch on demand on and Paramount+, including via Apple TV, Android TV, Roku, Chromecast, Amazon FireTV/FireTV stick and Xbox. Follow us on Twitter/X; Facebook; Instagram; YouTube; TikTok; Bluesky; and at You can also download the free "Sunday Morning" audio podcast at iTunes and at Now you'll never miss the trumpet! Would you go on a retirement cruise? Wall Street Journal reports Trump sent "bawdy" birthday letter to Epstein, Trump threatens to sue Medical expert on Trump's chronic venous insufficiency diagnosis Solve the daily Crossword
CBS News
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- CBS News
This week on "Sunday Morning" (July 20)
The Emmy Award-winning "CBS News Sunday Morning" is broadcast on CBS Sundays beginning at 9:00 a.m. ET. "Sunday Morning" also streams on the CBS News app beginning at 11:00 a.m. ET. (Download it here.) Hosted by Jane Pauley COVER STORY: The science of redesigning your personalityWriter Olga Khazan was unhappy with the person she was – anxious, obsessed with work, unable to have fun, and constantly worried about things. And when therapy, medications and self-care failed to work for her, Khazan decided a more radical approach was needed: she vowed to redesign her personality. Khazan talks with "Sunday Morning" correspondent Susan Spencer about the surprising steps she took to live outside her comfort zone – a journey she documented in her new book, "Me, But Better: The Science and Promise of Personality Change." Spencer also talks with University of Kentucky professor Shannon Sauer-Zavala about how it's possible to change seemingly intractable personality traits. For more info: ALMANAC: July 20"Sunday Morning" looks back at historical events on this date. FASHION: Brooklyn Fashion Academy: Opening the door to new talentDuring the summer, the Brooklyn Public Library hosts a free program mentoring aspiring fashion designers – some with no formal experience – with an assist from "Project Runway All Stars" alum Benjamin Mach. Correspondent Elaine Quijano reports on the Brooklyn Fashion Academy and its goal to broaden access into the fashion industry. For more info: U.S.: A Civil War landmark in downtown little-known landmark in Washington, D.C., is an inconspicuous building that was the site of a revolutionary effort at the end of the Civil War – one that changed the military ever since – where Clara Barton worked to locate thousands of soldiers missing or dead. Correspondent Falie Salie visits the Clara Barton Missing Soldiers Office Museum. For more info: BOOKS: Restaurateur Keith McNally on why he regrets "almost everything"British-born restaurateur Keith McNally opened such popular New York City institutions as the Odeon, Balthazar and Pastis. But a 2016 stroke, which caused immobility and affected his speech, led to a suicide attempt two years later. It also led him to take to social media, and pen an irreverent memoir, "I Regret Almost Everything." He talks with correspondent Mo Rocca about overcoming public embarrassment about his condition, and the importance of having a hamburger on the menu. For more info: PASSAGE: In memoriam"Sunday Morning" remembers some of the notable figures who left us this week. TV: Bridget Everett on how she ended up as "Somebody, Somewhere"Actress and cabaret star Bridget Everett put her hometown of Manhattan, Kansas, on the map with "Somebody, Somewhere." Everett was a writer, producer and lead actor in the Peabody Award-winning HBO series about a Midwestern woman returning home and working through grief. Correspondent Luke Burbank visited Everett in Manhattan, to talk about her surreal journey, and about a show whose characters can be hopeless and hopeful in the same moment. For more info: HARTMAN: Happiness carousel TV: What shocked "Matlock" star Kathy Bates?Academy Award-winning actress Kathy Bates, who sat down with Turner Classic Movies host Ben Mankiewicz to talk about some of her most memorable stage and screen roles, from "Misery" to "Matlock," learned a startling fact about her relationship with her mother the night she won the Oscar. (Originally broadcast Oct. 6, 2024.) For more info: THESE UNITED STATES: Yellowstone National ParkCorrespondent Conor Knighton reflects on the American treasure whose preservation as our first national park inspired similar conservation efforts around the globe. For more info: MUSIC: Conductor Herbert Blomstedt, a man who has cheated timeHerbert Blomstedt is still conducting major symphony orchestras around the world at the age of 98. And as correspondent Martha Teichner reports, he plans to continue doing so past 100 because, he says, "I have gifts I have to live up to." For more info: Footage courtesy of: Photos courtesy of: COMMENTARY: Former Obama speechwriter David Litt on finding neutral ground"Common ground" may be increasingly difficult to find in a time when everything seems political. Instead, David Litt, a former speechwriter for President Barack Obama, suggests finding "neutral ground" with others – a place to spend time together focused on something other than our differences. Surfing, he found, is a good option. For more info: NATURE: TBD FROM THE ARCHIVES: Martin Cruz Smith on writing mysteries (Video)Martin Cruz Smith, author of such bestsellers as "Gorky Park" and "Polar Star," died on July 11, 2025, at age 82. In this "Sunday Morning" profile that aired Oct. 20, 2002, Smith talked with correspondent Anthony Mason about how he continued writing mysteries featuring Moscow detective Arkady Renko, despite being blacklisted by the Soviet Union. He also discussed the "boring" aspects of writing, and the research he conducted in Japan for his novel "December 6," set in Tokyo on the eve of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Notable Deaths MARATHON: Fun 'n' Games (YouTube Video)Enjoy these classic "Sunday Morning" features about gaming, from board and tile games, to bizarre new games that might not catch on. MARATHON: Pieces of history (YouTube Video)In this compilation, "CBS Sunday Morning" delves into the pages of history, from the fall of Saigon to the reconstruction of the Notre Dame Cathedral. The Emmy Award-winning "CBS News Sunday Morning" is broadcast on CBS Sundays beginning at 9:00 a.m. ET. Executive producer is Rand Morrison. DVR Alert! Find out when "Sunday Morning" airs in your city "Sunday Morning" also streams on the CBS News app beginning at 11:00 a.m. ET. (Download it here.) Full episodes of "Sunday Morning" are now available to watch on demand on and Paramount+, including via Apple TV, Android TV, Roku, Chromecast, Amazon FireTV/FireTV stick and Xbox. Follow us on Twitter/X; Facebook; Instagram; YouTube; TikTok; Bluesky; and at You can also download the free "Sunday Morning" audio podcast at iTunes and at Now you'll never miss the trumpet!
Gizmodo
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Gizmodo
Your Pooch's Personality Influences How They Watch TV
When a doorbell rings during your favorite TV show, does your dog leap up and start barking or cock their head inquisitively? According to a new study, the answer to this question may be linked to your pup's personality. This doesn't just apply to TV shows meant for human consumption. In recent years, dog-specific TV programming has become a popular enrichment tool among owners who want to keep their canine companion calm and entertained while they're out of the house. Today, there are many TV shows—even entire cable networks—designed for dogs, but the science behind them is limited, Lane Montgomery, lead author of the study and a PhD candidate at Auburn University, told Gizmodo in an email. She and her colleagues investigated what drives dogs to exhibit certain TV viewing behaviors, finding that temperament plays an important role. 'A dog's interactions with televisions can be both positive and negative,' Montgomery said. Understanding the factors that influence TV-watching behavior in canines can help increase positive reactions and prevent negative ones, depending on a dog's unique personality and the stimuli presented to them, she explained. The researchers recruited 650 companion dog owners to participate in an online survey that asked about their dogs' TV viewing habits. This included questions about whether the owner trained their dog to watch TV, the average number of hours per week the TV is on, and the average number of seconds the dog spends watching TV. The survey also collected demographic and behavioral information about each canine participant. The final sample of 453 companion dogs ranged in age from two months to 16 years old and included both purebreds and mixed breeds. Montgomery and her colleagues assessed the dogs' reactions to animal stimuli, non-animal stimuli, and the extent to which they followed objects on screen. Their findings, published Thursday, July 17, in the journal Scientific Reports, suggest demographic characteristics such as age, sex, and breed do not influence dogs' TV-viewing behavior, nor does prior TV exposure. Rather, it appears that the type of stimuli and dogs' temperament traits, such as excitability or anxiousness, shape how they interact with TV. The researchers found that dogs are generally more likely to react to seeing or hearing animals on-screen than other stimuli, with about 45% always responding to dog noises such as barking and howling. Fearful or anxious dogs, however, were more likely to respond to non-animal stimuli such as car horns or doorbells. Owners who described their dogs as excitable more frequently observed them following objects on-screen as if they existed in real life. 'Practically, this study helps inform what types of dog-specific programming would be most valuable for dogs,' Montgomery said. For owners, understanding how different canine temperaments respond to TV stimuli could help them select the right programs for their pets or inform training approaches to correct problematic behaviors toward TVs, the researchers concluded. The authors note that the findings may not be representative of all dogs, as all survey respondents were pet owners whose dogs regularly interact with TV. Going forward, Montgomery hopes to examine these results in an experimental context. 'Studies have begun to do this, but it would be interesting to conduct additional research concerning how personality and television stimuli interact and how these findings translate into a real-world context,' she said. Such work would further inform best practices for using TV to enrich the lives of companion dogs.
