# Mood-Altering Cat Parasites Make Women Friendly and Men Jerks By Walter Andri | Published 2006-01-24 | Lifestyle Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/mood-altering-cat-parasites-make-women-friendly-and-men-jerks References: [boingboing.net](http://www.boingboing.net/) & [corante](http://www.corante.com/loom/archives/2006/01/17/the_return_of_the_puppet_masters.php) Your girlfriend is more loving (but jealous) when the cat is around, and you are a jerk (according to new research from a University in Prague). "A parasite that causes rats to sacrifice themselves to cats may also change human behavior, making women more outgoing and warmhearted, and men more jealous and suspicious. The Toxoplasma bacteria protist is shed in cat feces, which are eaten by rats; infected rats become fearless in the presence of cats, which makes them easier to catch, which, in turn spreads the disease to new cats." - BoingBoing "Some scientists believe that Toxoplasma changes the personality of its human hosts, bringing different shifts to men and women. Parasitologist Jaroslav Flegr of Charles University in Prague administered psychological questionnaires to people infected with Toxoplasma and controls. Those infected, he found, show a small, but statistically significant, tendency to be more self-reproaching and insecure. Paradoxically, infected women, on average, tend to be more outgoing and warmhearted than controls, while infected men tend to be more jealous and suspicious." - The Corante ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 4.3/10 - Popularity: 77% | Activity: 43% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: North America, Europe, Asia ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Lifestyle](https://www.trendhunter.com/lifestyle) > [Pets](https://www.trendhunter.com/pets) ## Key Themes ### What's Driving This Trend - **Mood-altering Parasites:** Opportunities to develop products and services that cater to changing consumer behavior brought about by parasites such as toxoplasma. - **Personality Altering Microbes:** Developing research into the impact of microorganisms on human personality to understand and address changes in behavior. - **Infection-induced Behavioral Shifts:** Challenges and opportunities to the healthcare industry in addressing the effects of infections on human behavior. ### Who This Affects Most - **Healthcare:** Opportunities for the healthcare industry to develop treatments for infections and disorders that impact human behavior. - **Pet Care:** Understanding and addressing the transmission of microbes from pets to humans as well as the impact it has on human personality. - **Consumer Goods/ Marketing:** Opportunities to market products that cater to changing consumer behavior brought about by infections such as toxoplasma. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Catnip-Infused Fragrances](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/lynx-with-catnip.md) - [Cat-Owning Couple Series](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/liveclear-love-clear.md) - [Relationship-Strengthening Pet Product Lines](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/dr-elseys.md) - [Research-Backed Cat Happiness Scales](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/cat-happiness-scale.md) - [Calming Cat Diffusers](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/calming-cat-diffuser.md) - [Dog Behavior Patterns](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/eotvos-lorand-university.md) - [Adoptable Cat App Takeovers](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/date-cats-not-humans.md) - [Immersive Cat Lover Pop-Ups](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/whiskas-purradise.md) - [VR Cat Experiences](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/vr-cat-experiences.md)