Interesting read, yeah, and somewhat what I was looking for. One part of what I'm curious about is whether there are... neurological differences maybe? associated with being a furry. I mean, every memory or idea is a difference is brain structure, but what I'm saying is that perhaps the practice of identifying with animals exercises a part of the brain more than it is for non-furries, in a way that might be measurable.
I also think maybe looking at a lot of art might cause measurable differences... ha, and after deciding to be a furry and spending time looking at furry art, I find that reading non-furry cartoons which happen to have animals in them my eyes will go to the animal first, expecting it to be a more important part of whatever scene than the humans, a habit I didn't have before.
I think there is such a thing as "statistical reality" which emerges with enough samples; there are enough furries in the world that even though most of us have widely different stories as how we came to the fandom, there is a statistical reality there, there is something actually possible to study, because of the quantity. For example I wouldn't expect every person calling themselves a furry to have neurological differences because of it, but if maybe a tenth of us do it still influences the culture.
