Study Finds 14 Dogs' Reward Circuits Activate to Human Smiles
Updated
Updated · BBC.com · Aug 10
Study Finds 14 Dogs' Reward Circuits Activate to Human Smiles
3 articles · Updated · BBC.com · Aug 10
Summary
Brain scans of 14 dogs showed a reward-linked region became active when the animals viewed happy human faces, including smiles from complete strangers.
Happy expressions alone triggered that circuitry; images showing anger, fear and sadness did not, suggesting dogs distinguish positive human emotion more clearly than different negative ones.
University of Vienna researchers Laura Cuaya and Raúl Hernández-Pérez said the same brain area has previously responded to food anticipation and familiar scents, indicating smiles carry positive value for dogs.
The iScience study adds evidence that domestication reshaped dogs' brains for human social cues and may help owners communicate more effectively—researchers' practical advice was simple: smile at dogs.