Can Dogs Recognise Human Emotions?

For centuries, dogs have been called “man’s best friend” – and rightly so. These faithful companions are known for their unwavering loyalty, empathy and countless gestures of love towards their owners. But do dogs really understand our emotions? Can they tell when we’re happy, sad, upset or scared? The latest research suggests the answer is yes.

Emotions in a dog’s eyes

The ability to read and respond to the emotions of others is a key element of social intelligence, in both humans and animals. In 2016, a team of researchers from the University of Lincoln in the UK and the University of São Paulo in Brazil carried out a study to find out whether dogs are able to recognise human emotions.

The experiment involved showing dogs pairs of images and sounds representing different human emotions. The researchers found that the dogs were able to match images and sounds that expressed the same emotion – for example, a photo of a shocked person with the sound of a shocked voice.

This discovery suggests that dogs are not only able to recognise different emotions in people, but are also able to combine visual and auditory cues to better understand our feelings.

Attuned to their owner’s emotions

Dogs appear to be particularly attuned to the emotions of their owners. Many dog owners have noticed that their four-legged friends seem to know when they’re feeling sad, and often try to comfort them by cuddling up or simply staying close by.

Science backs up these anecdotes. A study carried out by a team from the University of Lincoln found that dogs show greater stress levels when their owners are stressed. This suggests that dogs not only recognise their owners’ emotions, but may also pick up on and absorb those emotions themselves.

Emotional mirrors

Dogs aren’t just able to read our emotions – they can also mirror them, a behaviour known as “emotional contagion”. For example, if they see that we’re happy, they may start showing signs of joy, such as wagging their tail, jumping up or barking.

On the other hand, if dogs notice that we’re sad or upset, they may also start showing signs of distress, such as reduced activity, a drop in appetite, or an increased need for closeness and comfort.

In summary

Dogs are undoubtedly capable of recognising and responding to human emotions, which only deepens our bond with them. This knowledge should encourage us to be more mindful of our own emotions around our dogs, since they affect not only us, but our four-legged friends as well.