Dogs Can Actually Read Emotions In Humans

Ever wonder how our pets seem to know just how we're feeling? A new study looks at how dogs can actually tell when we're happy and sad. 

Recent findings published in the journal Current Biology examined the reactions of 11 different dogs who viewed pictures of human faces appearing happy or angry.

At first, the dogs were only shown the upper half of a person's face. Then the researchers showed the animals a different half of a different face or a different half of the same face.

"We think the dogs in our study could have solved the task only by applying their knowledge of emotional expressions in humans to the unfamiliar pictures we presented to them," lead study author Corsin Müller, of the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, said in a news release.

Researchers hope to study just how dogs express themselves with future studies.

"These questions can be addressed by testing other species with the task we presented to the dog," Corsin Müller, another co-author at the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, said via CBS News. "For example, other domesticated species and other animals that have a lot of exposure to humans. Particularly interesting will be testing the hand-raised wolves ... Also, I would expect that some great apes (at least enculturated individuals) will be able to solve the task as well."

"We expect to gain important insights into the extraordinary bond between humans and one of their favorite pets, and into the emotional lives of animals in general," Müller concluded, via the news organization.

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