Whether you are a pessimist or an optimist, this article is for you, especially if you live with a dog. Why? Scientists have published a study that highlights the link between our stress and the attitude of dogs who live with us, and not only. Here’s what you need to know.
Stress “stinks” and affects us
Science has proven that stress “stinks”that is, it has a smell that we perceive unconsciously and which influences our emotions: this means that if there is a stressed person near us, our choices will be negatively influenced.
And what do dogs have to do with it?
Scientists have discovered that even dogs are more or less pessimistic based on how much we “smell” of stress.
View this post on Instagram
Optimism and pessimism in dogs
To reach this conclusion, the researchers recruited 18 dog-human pairs to subject them to a series of tests involving smells of stressed and relaxed humans and bowls with and without treats.
The 18 dogs involved were aged between eight months and ten years, two Springer spaniels, two Cocker spaniels, two Labrador Retrievers, two Braque d’Auvergne, a Whippet, a Golden Retriever, a Miniature Poodle and seven mixed-breed dogs.
Eight dogs had been registered as training dogs at the University of Bristol.
Whoever seeks finds: the bowl and the morsels
In practice, the dogs were placed in a room and had to choose between two bowls always placed in the same places: one contained a treat, while the other was empty.
After several attempts, the dogs understood the difference between the positions of the two bowls and approached faster the one that was placed in the position where they knew they would find the treat.
The scientists then added more bowls, one near the one with the treats and one near the empty one, and timed the speed with which the dogs approached the new bowls.
In addition to the bowls, odor samples from stressed people and relaxed people were also added.
The researchers found that the stress odor made the dogs slower to approach the bowls, especially the one placed next to the empty bowl.
However, this behavior was not observed in the case of the odor of a relaxed person.
How we influence our dogs
According to experts, these experiments show that dogs, just like us, are pessimistic and optimistic, and the smell of stress makes them emotionally more pessimistic and this helps them prevent and avoid disappointments.
Bottom line, stress is bad for everyone, so put your phone away and go for a walk with your dog, so you’ll both be less stressed and more optimistic!
