You know those times when you’re not feeling up to par, and your animal becomes extra cuddly and you think it’s because they want to make you feel better? Well, you’re on the right track. Science can now prove that dogs know when you have the blues just by looking at you.
The researchers out of Vienna, Austria, say that dogs have the ability to know the difference between angry and happy clues, like body language and the tone of your voice. But before you say “no shit” or “no duh” for those watching their language, the study, published in Current Biology, is the first of it’s kind to prove that animals can tell the difference between facial expressions between other species (human-animal, or animal-animal).
To get those convincing results, the scientist trained dogs to discriminate between happy and sad expressions by using photographs of happy faces and angry faces. Once the dogs were trained, the scientist then tested them on their ability to distinguish between the two expressions. Easy right? Not so much. But you can read the in-depth findings here if you choose.
Basically, the scientist found that the dogs were able to tell the difference between happy and angry faces with a 70-80 percent accuracy.
So next time you’re feeling down, make sure to have a fuzzy friend cuddle up next to you. They want to make you feel better!
*For more animal articles I wrote while interning with Boston Magazine, check out this one, and this one!*
Also – Here’s a picture of my adorable dog. She makes everyone feel better!
What a cute dog