Why Does Your Dog Smile at You?
Dogs are “man’s best friend.” They’re human’s most common pets and have been important companions to humans in numerous societies for thousands of years.
And they are good for you. Studies have found that the presence of dogs can reduce stress and make people happier. They may also improve your health.
But why, though? How did they get to be so important to us?
It’s about emotions.
One explanation for why humans form close relationships with dogs so easily is because dogs express emotions in a way that is similar to humans. If you’ve had a dog, you will be familiar with this — we can just kind of get how they’re feeling. They smile at you.
Dogs may be able to attune themselves to the behaviours and emotions of humans more than any other animal. Dogs not only react to human body language, pointing, gestures, and verbal commands, but they also seem to be able to understand the emotions that we express.
Why Are Dogs So Good at Understanding Our Emotions?
The importance of dogs in the lives of humans, and the ability for dogs to attune their emotions to humans may not be an accident: some argue that this ability to express emotions in a way that is similar to humans can be explained by evolution.
