Domesticated dogs have been co-evolving with humans for tens of thousands of years. No surprise, then, that they react to our human emotions just as we tend to react to dogs’ emotions more strongly than most other animals. Now, MRI scans have revealed that dogs really can read our different emotional states.
“Researchers put dogs (awake and unrestrained) in MRI scanners to see the activity in different regions of their brains while the pooches looked at images of human facial expressions.
“They found one thing they already knew: Dogs can tell the difference between joy and a blank stare, and between happy and angry faces.
“But then the brain scans showed something novel: The dogs were making distinctions between fear and anger, and fear and sadness, showing they can tell the difference between somewhat nuanced negative emotions.”
And yes, seeing a smiling happy human face gives a doggo the warm-fuzzies.
“In the first experiment, eight pet dogs were shown images of happy and neutral human faces that were unfamiliar to them. Happy faces elicited a stronger response in a part of the brain known as the right temporal cluster extending to the caudate nucleus, which is notable because it’s associated with rewards, explained Cuaya.
“‘Other studies show, for example, that this activation is related when the dog is expecting a snack or a food reward, but also when they hear praise,’ she said.”
With such emotional connection and capacity for empathy, the future of genetic engineering has a clear goal: Genetically engineering dog girls suitable for domestic best-friendship!
A little mood music:
