MSNBC has a long and fascinating article about research into whether animals are capable of love, and other emotions, including whether pets love their humans. Its a good read.
"Not surprisingly, the animal that has shown researchers the most emotional complexity thus far is the dog. Bred as human companions for thousands of years, dogs have evolved into master communicators. Recent studies show they are even better than chimpanzees at reading human emotional cues, a trait that undoubtedly helped them in the quest for food and shelter in the caves of early man. They may be equally adept at expressing their own feelings and personalities. Samuel Gosling, a biologist at the University of Texas at Austin, says people can reliably “type” four dimensions of canine personality: sociability, affection, emotional stability and “competence,” which combines obedience and intelligence. They’re remarkably similar to the four basic categories of human personality found in standard psychological tests."
NO Sh*T! Your cat or dog can tell when you are sick or in danger!
I'm glad we paid a professor to tell us the obvious!
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"Not surprisingly, the animal that has shown researchers the most emotional complexity thus far is the dog. Bred as human companions for thousands of years, dogs have evolved into master communicators. Recent studies show they are even better than chimpanzees at reading human emotional cues, a trait that undoubtedly helped them in the quest for food and shelter in the caves of early man. They may be equally adept at expressing their own feelings and personalities. Samuel Gosling, a biologist at the University of Texas at Austin, says people can reliably “type” four dimensions of canine personality: sociability, affection, emotional stability and “competence,” which combines obedience and intelligence. They’re remarkably similar to the four basic categories of human personality found in standard psychological tests."
NO Sh*T! Your cat or dog can tell when you are sick or in danger!
I'm glad we paid a professor to tell us the obvious!
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