In conjunction with wellness, we sought to test whether presumptions about the furry fandom as maladjusted or dysfunctional were supported or refuted by the data.
Across several studies, furries were shown to be no more likely than non-furries to experience anxiety in their day-to-day lives,1 and were diagnosed with anxiety disorders at a rate no higher than the general population (6.1%.)2 Similarly, furries were no more likely to experience depression than non-furries or members of other fandoms,3 Furries were also no more likely to have been diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (9.2%,)4 to have been prescribed psychotropic medication (37.3%,)5, or to have been diagnosed with a medical condition.6 These findings coincide with other data showing that furries are no more likely to experience dysfunctional fantasy or delusion than non-furries.7
In fact, of all the conditions studied, there was only one where the prevalence rate is possibly higher than in the general population: Asperger’s Syndrome, or high-functioning autism. Approximately 4% of participants indicated that they had been diagnosed of Asperger’s Syndrome (but see below). Given that estimates of the prevalence rate of Asperger’s Syndrome in the general population differ immensely, it is difficult to know exactly how much more prevalent this condition is in the furry fandom than the general population. However, the most conservative estimates suggest that, based on the obtained data, furries are at least 2.25 times more likely to have Asperger’s Syndrome than the general population, even after controlling for different sex ratios in the furry fandom. Additionally, there was a small, but significant positive relationship between the extent to which participants identified as being furry and having Asperger’s Syndrome (B = .083, p = .023). It should be noted, however, that one trait commonly associated with Asperger’s Syndrome is a powerful focus on a narrow or specific activity or interest.
In another study we asked participants whether they had been formally diagnosed by a professional as being on the autism spectrum8: 11.7% of furries indicated that they have. This is a number considerably higher than that of the general population, though it caries with it some important caveats. First, males are more likely than females to be diagnosed on the autism spectrum, and given that the fandom is predominantly male, this may account for at least some of this difference. As a second point, we believe that this finding is not unique to the furry fandom, but rather is a characteristic of any fan group. Given that one of the diagnostic criteria of autism is a strong interest/fascination with a specific subject, we think that fandoms—as places full of people with passionate interest in a topic—may be particularly appealing to people on the autism spectrum. In future studies of other fandoms (e.g., sports, brony, anime) we will test this particular hypothesis to see whether our results are idiosyncrasies of the furry fandom or part of a broader trend across all fandoms.
In sum, generally speaking, there is little relationship between furries and clinical diagnoses of psychological dysfunction. Across several studies, furries did not differ significantly from the general population with regard to the prevalence psychological conditions. As such, it is incorrect to define or “try to explain furries” by the presence of any particular psychological condition or through any type of psychological dysfunction, as the data do not support such claims.
I think you are making a mistake in the way you collect information about the percentage of Furries with Autism. You said, “In another study we asked participants whether they had been formally diagnosed by a professional as being on the Autism Spectrum”, when the drug-pushing medical profesion cannot find it’s own ass with a flashlight and a map. I think the question you should be asking is, “Do you believe you are Autistic?” In which case you will probably end up with a much higher percentage of Furries identifying as Autistic; i.e., do not ask them what a doctor thinks of them. Ask them what they think of themselves. – Shannon.
Hey Shannon! You’re right, and the answer is that we asked both ways in our most recent studies, self-identification and professional diagnosis, because both are valuable for understanding people’s experiences. Thanks for your comment 🙂
This looks like good data to me. Like all good results, these must be combined with the results of other studies to build a more complete picture.
There are a couple of holes though. Self-diagnosis carries the problem that the diagnostician is neither trained or experienced. The problem with professional diagnosis is that although autism has been linked with neurodiversity, especially in pathways between the frontal cortex and the rest of the brain, it’s still diagnosed with a checklist-of-symptoms method. It would miss differentiating between autism and a different neurovarience that mimics autism.
But the cool thing about this study is that it doesn’t support expected outcomes. It emphasizes that, in science, a well designed, but failed, experiment is just as good as (or better than) a successful experiment!
Asperger’s syndrome is an extremely poor choice of words. It comes from the Nazi Hans Asperger who tortured mentally ill people for his “research”. Also, High-functioning autism is judgemental and no longer in common usage. “As of 2013, Asperger Syndrome and High-functioning autism are no longer terms used by the American Psychological Association, and have instead both been merged into autism spectrum disorder (ASD). “
True. The Furscience team is proud to include the Clinical Psychologist, Dr Elizabeth Fein, who specializes in neurodiversity and will have an entire page dedicated to Furries on the spectrum with specific recommendations on how conventions and researchers can do better: this will include changing, modifying, and/or eliminating anachronistic or insufficient terms. These changes are on-going, have already impacted the survey language, and will be reflected going forward when the website is updated this year, 2023. Appreciate the comment: we’re on it 🙂
I think it’s well known that furries have higher anxiety, depression and mental health issues, hence the need for escapism and group identity, 2 needs that they meet in the community. Because I would not believe that your researchs would find absolutely no difference in mental health issues because your study is probably biased, i had to find another research on the subject. And what a surprise, the numbers on mental health issues are catastrophically higher than what you present here, the research was done by the University of Wakaito on a 1249 sample. “It was found that 38.4% of participants had attempted suicide at least once in their lifetime, with 23.5% having attempted suicide at least two or more times. It was also found that 31.3% of participants had seriously contemplated suicide in the past year. It was also found that 46.7% of Participants scored in the clinical range for Anxiety and 41.3% of Participants scored in the clinical
range for Depression with 27.5% and 18.4% scoring in the severe range
respectively. ”
“Finally, 78.1% of participants felt that being part of the furry community
helped them cope with life stressors”. I got no idea why your data was so different, maybe furries dont want to define themselves by their mental health issues when they feel like their reputation is at stake but I believe that this serious study done by professors of this prestigioius university have more value than your online quizz, no offense. I just feel like you lied to people watching your website, and i hate that feeling, how can you lie when Objective Data is so different from your quizz ?
Anyway,here is the study link
https://researchcommons.waikato.ac.nz/bitstream/handle/10289/12093/thesis.pdf?sequence=4&isAllowed=y
The link you provided is a thesis by a graduate student not a professor, who lists a Furscientist, Dr Courtney Plante, a Professor, as one of this thesis’ Supervisors. The student’s thesis also cites Furscience’s Peer-Reviewed scholarship.
You may find all of the citations in the references section of this thesis in our Research Publications Section as well.
The conclusion from the thesis you cite: “Participants reported that the furry community provided a wide range of support including emotional and social support[,] which was reported by many participants to have been an influential factor on improving their mental well-being and decreasing their suicidal ideation and self-harming. This study has highlighted that the furry community may provide protective factors including social support to its members. It appears to provide both practical support including providing income or housing, as well as emotional support such as providing a place to seek advice, or to vent and share their emotions.”
Our data supports this conclusion as well.
Right, but with 40% of furries member still in the clinical range for either depression or anxiety, I can’t help but wonder if the furry community really helps? What if it’s a distraction from trauma and a way for people to get away from their hard life problems, escapism in other words? Escapism is okay in small doses but maybe for some people, they retreated into the furry community thinking that this is where they get the feelings of belonging and the possibility of “being without judgement”. Therefore they feel very much happy to be there but it’s an double edged sword because the rest of their life becomes the part where they go trough everyday lives without the feeling of belonging and being themselves. It’s easy to feel as home in a friendly environment but for our mental health, we should aim to make everyday lives a healthy environment and maybe this escapism allows these people to run away from things they do not want to confront, therefore they won’t grow or heal their life
I would recommend checking out our latest research data and analysis to see if it better informs your speculation. A digital copy of the book is available for free, and you can get it here. You’ll want to check out “Part 4 – It’s All in Your Head: Furry Psychology,” specifically Chapter 22:”The Kids Are Alright: Furry Well-Being and Mental Health,” to start with…thanks again for your continued interest 🙂