A joint study by Azabu University, Kumamoto University, Nagoya University, and Nara Institute of Science and Technology revealed that dogs have the ability to sympathize with sudden changes in human emotions.It was also found that the longer the breeding period, the higher the heart rate entrainment rate, and that females are more likely to sympathize than males.
According to Azabu University, the experiment was conducted on 13 pairs of owners and dogs.While the owner sits in a position visible to the dog, rests in front of the visitor, and experiences the psychological stress of mental arithmetic and textual explanations, he monitors changes in the heart rate of the owner and the dog and at the same time acts. Analyzed by video.
As a result, it was found that the heart rate variability values of the owner and the dog were synchronized in some pairs, and that the longer the breeding period, the easier the synchronization.
The research group believes that this result was transmitted to dogs by changes in the owner's emotions.The transmission appears in seconds in heart rate variability numbers.Transmission of emotional changes is called "emotional transmission" and has been confirmed in other animals such as monkeys and mice, but there have been no reports of existence between different species such as humans and dogs.
In past studies, emotional transmission was thought to be due to sharing of the living environment rather than genetic relationships, but it became clear that the longer the breeding period, the more likely it is that emotional empathy will occur, and experimental results consistent with this theory. Was obtained.
The research group believes that emotional transmission has played an important role in mutual understanding and building cooperative relationships in the history of dogs, which began coexisting with humans 1 to 5,000 years ago.
Paper information:[Frontiers in Psychology] Emotional Contagion From Humans to Dogs Is Facilitated by Duration of Ownership
