Your pet understands you! Dogs can recognize human emotions - they bend their heads in response to crying and become anxious when their owner is worried, writes The Conversation.
Scientists have discovered that dogs, like humans, have special areas of the brain that process voice tones and emotions. In stressful situations, the heartbeat of pets and the owner is synchronized. Experts called this phenomenon "emotional contagion" - a form of empathy.
As researchers note, oxytocin plays a key role in this phenomenon. During the experiment, it was found that prolonged eye contact increases the level of this hormone in pets and their owner, which increases feelings of affection and closeness.
Studies show that dogs have learned to distinguish facial expressions and smells associated with emotions. Thus, they show anxiety when feeling fear and, conversely, relax when the owner is calm. Evolution has adapted the dog's brain to social interaction, as a result of which domestic animals have a subtle understanding of a person's emotional state.
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