Science has managed to demonstrate something that many people already knew: the empathy of dogs, dogs connect almost immediately with the emotional state of people, however, their skills go a little beyond this fascinating connection as they also demonstrate the expressed and altruistic desire to offer comfort. , to alleviate emotional distress and sadness.
We know that anyone with one or more dogs will agree with the findings of this study conducted at the University of London on this subject. We know that these four-legged friends with wet noses and faithful eyes are immediately in tune with our joy and especially Our sufferings, so they don’t hesitate for a moment to ingest our hand, put their favorite toy on our feet or sit on our lap like children trying to steal a smile from us.
You think dogs don’t go to heaven? For me, they’ll get here long before one of us. ? -Robert Louis Stevenson-
The empathy of dogs, this deft reading of our moods, has, in fact, even more surprising nuances that are explained in this same study. An example of this can be seen in a very specific case: Benjamin Stepp is a war veteran, he was in the Iraq War and now lives with a handsome labrador named Arleigh. This young man suffered a head injury that appears every day in the form of sudden attacks of pain immobilizing his legs.
Arleigh feels when these seizures will occur and immediately addresses her owner with a very specific goal: to provide support, affection, decrease anxiety and control her breathing so that the pain disappears as quickly as possible. This relationship between them is so fascinating that an ethologist, Natalia Alburquerque, studies the case Why are dogs known?Smell some metabolic changes in our body that result, for example, in a drop in blood sugar, seizures and, in this case, the onset of pain.
However, one of the most surprising aspects of all this is the fidelity and altruism of these animals, they want nothing in return, their sense of protection and bond is so intense that the mere fact of providing them with relief and well-being is already rewarding. and satisfied.
Ethologists and psychologists specializing in the animal world show us an important aspect. We can’t compare human empathy to dog empathy. In the latter case, it is better to talk about “emotional contagion”, a very primitive form of empathy that, according to Ted Ruffman, a psychologist at the University of Otago, could be compared to what a three-year-old may have.
It should also be noted that empathy is a complex psychological dimension, involving highly sophisticated cognitive processes, in the empathy of dogs highlights the ease with which they have to read our facial expressions, our tone of the voice and the natural attitude of “being infected” emotionally with the same states in which we find ourselves. However, if this emotion is negative, they immediately initiate voluntary behaviors to offer help, support, and well-being.
This last aspect is undoubtedly a topic that has always fascinated specialists, the reason why dogs show such a strong bond with us can be found in our ancestors, in our most primitive past. Edward Osborne Wilson is an American winemaker and biologist who explains some really interesting aspects in his many books.
Humans have established a very intense emotional connection with dogs since the most remote times, those in which our main priority was to survive. One of Dr. Edward Osborne’s theories is that humans who had the company of several dogs in their social groups were more likely to stay alive than those who had not yet established this bond.
This constant interaction initiated from those farthest times established a sophisticated relationship in which dogs quickly recognized our emotions and in which we learned to see them as members of our social groups. The empathy of dogs is a reality that has always accompanied us.
Our dogs will never tell us to pick things up calmer, they’re not going to tell us to change jobs, give our ex another chance or don’t worry about that friend who brings us more problems than benefits, they’ll never recommend anything. , will not judge or criticize any of your decisions. Will your dogs be limited to? Being there with you, doing your best in return for nothing, and what would be one of the clearest behaviors of canine empathy?
As curious as it may seem, this is what they have always done: to live with us since the time of our ancestors, European hunter-gatherers began to domesticize the young of the most docile wolves who toured their colonies in search of food. ours and took us for them in a lasting and wonderful alliance. Therefore, most people cannot avoid a smile when their eyes meet those of a dog.
We recognize ourselves and our biological mechanisms interact to produce positive emotional responses, were our alliance in the past and are our therapeutic allies in the present, do dogs give us peace of mind, make us smile, activate our endorphins, oxytocin, reduce the feeling of loneliness and even reduce our feeling of pain?
In conclusion, questioning the emotional power of dogs and their ability to live is certainly an unforgivable mistake. Because in them we have our anonymous four-legged heroes to which we owe so much: guide dogs, dogs that accompany disabled children or dependent elders on a daily basis. In short, all these great friends that we worship and that we do not hesitate to consider as an undisputed part of our family.