Communication does not always have to be vocal; it can also be visual or chemical. You wouldn’t ordinarily think that dogs and humans communicate through chemical signals. However, have you ever wondered why you get that innate feeling to forgive your dog when he looks up at you with those sad puppy-dog eyes after destroying your new pair of shoes or digging a hole in the yard which you then fall into and twisted your ankle? It turns out that the dog’s gaze elicits the release of a hormone called oxytocin, which causes this forgiving response.
Previous research has found that when a person smells oxytocin, a hormone produced in the pituitary gland, their tendency to trust others increases. Recently, Mino Nagasawa and colleagues from Azabu University in Japan conducted a study in which dog owners were placed together with their dogs in half hour sessions. Urine samples from the owner were taken before and after the sessions to measure oxytocin concentrations. The researchers found that higher frequencies of behavioral exchanges initiated by the dog’s gaze correlated with higher concentrations of oxytocin in the urine.
Another set of similar experiments was conducted, however the owners were not allowed to look at their dog. No correlation was found between the levels of oxytocin in the owner’s urine and the frequencies of behavioral exchanges. This concludes that the interactions between dogs and their owners can increase oxytocin concentrations in the urine of the owner, particularly when the interactions are visual.
So there’s the scientific proof that those cute little puppy-dog eyes really do work.
To read the full article, click here.
Posted By Crystal Young
What a great find! I found this article extremely interesting and had to share it with several of my animal science friends.
ReplyDeleteHas this been researched with any other animal? I wonder if a dog could get the same response with other animals or if this happens in other animals.
above posted by Tricia Carlson
ReplyDeleteDid the article mention why humans would start to produce oxytocin just by the stare of their dogs? I wonder if it has something to do with the way human babies' eyes look because mothers release oxytocin when their babies cry/give them the big eyed look. Did it mention if all the owners were women or women and men?
ReplyDeleteThis is an awesome article/blog.
-Sara Ku
Response to Sara:
ReplyDeleteThe article did not answer any of your questions, however the full scientific paper mentioned some of them. It did not discuss why humans start to produce oxytocin, but it did mention that dogs show attachment-like behaviors to humans, which are perceived by humans as similar to infants. It also mentioned that every animal has particular species-specific cues for social bonding, one of which being visual cues in humans. Previous research has reported that a picture of a loved one's face deactivates the amygdaloid nucleus (Bartels and Zeki, 2004), which may elicit this oxytocin response.
There were more women who participated in the study, however men did participate. The study involved a total of 55 volunteers. There were 21 males who were 36 ± 13.5 years old, and 34 females who were 40 ± 14 years old.
Glad you guys enjoyed this blog!
-Crystal Young
This article is so interesting. I have had that happen to me so many times. I used to get so mad at my dog, but the minute he looked at me I would feel bad for getting upset. Did the article mention if all breeds off dogs release these hormones? Or is it just certain breeds?
ReplyDelete-Samantha Babcock
I think I may be immune to this phenomena. Then again, I'm just not a dog person. I wonder if other animals can cause such an effect.
ReplyDeleteJess Bouchard (1)
Wow,this article is so funny. It's really great to see the actual proof because it seems that no one really can resist those puppy dog gazes and now I know why. I also had to share this article with my roommate who also found it intriguing. I wonder if this is something that is present in other animals that give you that "look" that creates similar responses or the oh my god so cute response.
ReplyDeleteSo interesting! It's true that it's hard to be upset when a dog looks up with those puppy eyes! They're just too adorable. It's interesting that this effect was studied and they were able to measure oxytocin levels to back it up. Has this study been done with other animals?
ReplyDelete-Posted by Sarah Benjamin
what a funny/awesome find. this article was so interesting!did it happen to say if any other animals can have this same effect???? again awesome entry!
ReplyDelete-stephen Chiricosta
It seems skeptical. Is it possible theres a third variable not being considered in the study?
ReplyDelete