Posted on 01/13/2016 5:26:46 PM PST by presidio9
Dogs really are man's best friend, it seems, as researchers have shown they can recognise emotions in humans by combining information from different senses.
They are the only creatures outside of humans who have been observed to have that ability.
-SNIP-
"Our study shows that dogs have the ability to integrate two different sources of sensory information into a coherent perception of emotion in both humans and dogs.
"To do so requires a system of internal categorisation of emotional states. This cognitive ability has until now only been evidenced in primates and the capacity to do this across species only seen in humans."
Co-author Professor Daniel Mills, from the School of Life Sciences at the University of Lincoln, said: "It has been a long-standing debate whether dogs can recognise human emotions. Many dog owners report anecdotally that their pets seem highly sensitive to the moods of human family members.
"However, there is an important difference between associative behaviour, such as learning to respond appropriately to an angry voice, and recognising a range of very different cues that go together to indicate emotional arousal in another.
"Our findings are the first to show that dogs truly recognise emotions in humans and other dogs.
-SNIP-
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
None unless you are British.
All my dogs have been able to read me like a book. I have to be careful though, because although they can tell when I’m PO’d (at some idiot liberal on TV, say), they cannot conceive that I’m mad at someone who isn’t even present in the room. They always think I’m mad at them, and that hurts their feelings very badly. Then I have to go apologize and scratch their ears for an hour. I spend a lot of time scratching ears.
Thanks for posting this truth. Not one to enjoy being ruled, I find this reminder helpful to explain why I, a leader, have always been a dog person.
Did they interview any cats?
Cats will rule only those who will let themselves be ruled. Otherwise, they are pesky little balls of furry love, and yes they even sympathize with me.
Pound for pound, after my ammunition is gone, cats will rule.
The reason cats seem to rule, I say, is that cats run on a special kind of love that needs more attention to do right. Dogs will anxiously kiss up to you. Cats just soak in the adoration. But if you are willing to do it, then they will come around and love you back till your heart melts at what balls of furry sweetness they are.
But of course.
The love you give does balance the love you take ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayo75QnDnss
I share a house with my son-in-law, a rabid Denver Bronco fan. Whenever he watches a game he yells and emotes at every positive or negative turn of the game for the Broncos. Inevitably, if near the TV he's watching, his dog seeks refuge in my part of the house.
Obama used to have a best friend
It’s terrible to see the ages of our fallen. I can’t exactly see the date of USCG Brukenthal’s passing because his gorgeous companion’s ear is blocking it, but goodness, this picture makes me simultaneously sad and proud for a variety of reasons.
RIP Bruckenthal
Of course dogs can do this. That's why humans and dogs found each other 10,000 years ago. If any other species could do it, THEY would be "mans best friend" but they can't - only dogs can.
I’ve seen it too in my dogsitting experiences. One dog would fast (a serious chow hound of a Golden Retriever, no less) on the last day till the door bell rang and her people came for her.
I have lived with a cat or two since I was seven years old. Yes, they also, like dogs, seem to know when you are sad or ill.
Great picture, thanks for posting.
Aww you have good little ones- you get well real soon.
Horses that have a close relationship with their owners or handlers tune into their people’s emotions.
I think that is a false statement. Large pet birds have been observed protecting their owners, and I am willing to bet that chimpanzees, and possibly other primates have the ability to read human emotion.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.