0
0
The theologian Hosea Ballou once wrote “Tears of joy are like the summer rain drops pierced by sunbeams.”
We humans don’t just shed tears when we’re sad, but also when we are overcome with happiness. But do our furry friends cry when they are happy?
The answer may be yes.
A new study conducted by Japanese researchers at Azabu University found that dogs’ eyes well up with tears when they experience intense positive emotion, particularly when they are reunited with their owners.
To test this idea, the researchers conducted a “reunification experiment” to see if getting a dog back with its owner brought tears to its eyes.
Researchers found that dogs’ tear volume increased when they were reunited with a person they knew. It did not increase with a person the dogs didn’t know.
In other words, dogs produce tears in what we call “happy” situations. Dog tears don’t fall as often as human tears, but dogs can and do get teary-eyed.
A related experiment tested how people respond to teary-eyed dogs. People were asked to rate photos of dog faces, some with artificial tears and some without. People gave more positive responses to teary-eyed dogs.
It’s believed that all of this is because of oxytocin, sometimes called the “love hormone.” It plays an important role in social bonding. Oxytocin is to known to be released in both dogs and owners when they interact. (You can read a summary of the dog tear study on ScienceDaily.)
Scientists are yet to figure out if dogs produce tears due to negative emotions like people do.
So for now, when you come home from a long day and your pooch seems extra happy, look into his or her eyes. If there are tears, they are tears of love.
Until next time,
Hugs and Pug Kisses,
Candy
Sources and Links:
Dogs cry more when reunited with their owners — ScienceDaily
Photo by Minnie Zhou on Unsplash
