Dogs’ Responses to Human Stress Reveal Emotional Contagion: A Study by the University of Bristol

News Mania Desk/Agnibeena Ghosh/25th July 2024

Scientists have unveiled a fascinating discovery revealing that dogs can experience “emotional contagion” from human stress, leading them to make more pessimistic choices. This groundbreaking research, conducted by the University of Bristol, is the first to examine how human stress odors impact the emotional and learning states of dogs.

Previous studies have indicated that the presence of a stressed individual can subconsciously affect the emotions and decisions of those nearby. To explore whether dogs are similarly influenced, researchers at Bristol Veterinary School sought to understand how human stress odors might alter a dog’s responses and emotions.

The study involved testing dogs for signs of “optimism” or “pessimism,” based on how their choices reflected positive or negative emotions. Researchers recruited 18 dog-owner pairs to participate in trials with different human scents. The dogs, ranging in age from eight months to ten years, included various breeds such as Springer Spaniels, Cocker Spaniels, Labrador Retrievers, and mixed breeds.

During the trials, dogs were trained to differentiate between two food bowls: one containing a treat and the other empty. Once the dogs learned to identify the bowl with the treat, researchers introduced new and ambiguous bowl locations to observe their responses. A quick approach to these new locations indicated optimism, while a slower approach suggested pessimism and negative emotions.

The study involved exposing the dogs to different odors, including those from human sweat and breath samples collected during stressful and relaxed states. Researchers found that the dogs were notably slower to approach the ambiguous bowl locations when exposed to the stress-related odors. This contrasted with their responses to relaxed odors, where they approached the new locations with more enthusiasm.

These findings, published in the journal Scientific Reports, suggest that the scent of human stress may lead dogs to believe that no food is present in the ambiguous locations, reflecting a more pessimistic outlook. The study highlights how deeply dogs are affected by human emotional states and provides insight into the complex ways in which our emotions can influence the behavior of our canine companions.

Overall, this research underscores the significant connection between human and animal emotions, revealing that dogs are not only sensitive to our feelings but can also exhibit changes in behavior based on the emotional cues they pick up from us.