John Burch
Although they fail to grasp the nuances of human speech, animals, for anyone that has spent the tiniest amount of time with them, are quite skilled in picking up human behavioral changes. They can easily understand the slightest deviations and transformations in our emotional baseline.
A new study, done in unison between a team of scientists and psychologists from the University of Lincoln, UK, and University of Sao Paulo, Brazil, has revealed that dogs can pick up on our emotions in a rather succinct way.
Using a series of different inputs, dogs can actually, and with remarkable accuracy, perceive our psychological state at any given time.
The team discovered that dogs spend a significant amount of time matching our facial expressions with our prevailing tone at any given time. Then, by an ability to integrate the two different sources of sensory stimulation, they can actually map out a clear idea of how we are feeling.
A survival trait, some might say, that few animals actually have. The ability to differentiate between broad spectrum of emotions could be very well have been fundamental in the way dogs have been integrated into society. Go to the next page to see the rest of the story!
This incredibly profound shift in mindset towards animal behavior, manages to account for an owner’s anecdotal evidence when they claim their puppy can actually tell what mood they are in.
This cognitive ability has, up until this point, only been evidence in primates and higher mammals. A breakthrough that can actually help to further communication between the species and improve a trainer’s curriculum.
Sources: Lincoln University, Science Daily
Photo courtesy of Pixabay
