eyes most dogs they fill with tears for example, when they experience positive emotions when they get their ownersA study published today by Current Biology says it has something to do with oxytocin.
The team, led by Takefumi Kilkusi of Azabu University (Japan), began by exploring the behavior of one of his poodles suckling the litter, when his eyes filled with tears, although they did not fall from his face as in humans. .
“We discovered that dogs shed tears linked to positive emotions” and oxytocinThe possible underlying mechanism, known as the motherhood or love hormone, the researcher said.
Previous observations have shown that both dogs and their owners release this hormone during their interactionso the team decided to see if meeting the owner made the animal cry.
To begin with, they used a standardized test to measure the tear volume of dogs before and after meeting their owners and found that it increased after meeting their owners, but Not with an unknown person.
When animals added oxytocin to their eyes, their tear volumes also increased, supporting the idea that the release of this hormone plays a role in tear production when dogs and their humans are reunited.
stronger connections
They also asked volunteers to rate photos of dogs’ faces with and without artificial tears, and it turned out. People reacted more positively when they saw dogs with teary eyes.
These results show that “dogs’ tear production helps form stronger bonds between humans and their dogs,” according to the study.
Dogs have been companions of humans and we can bond in the process, “it is possible that there are dogs whose eyes water when interacting with their owner. take more care“, guessed the researcher.
Kikusui explained that dogs produce tears in situations that people would describe as “happy,” but they have yet to test whether they do so in response to negative emotions.
The team also doesn’t know if they cry when they encounter other breeders and, if there is, whether it has a social function in the canine world.