WEBVTT - BrainStuff Classics: Yes, Your Dog Wants to Help When You're Upset

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff production of I Heart Radio. Hey

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<v Speaker 1>brain Stuff Lauren bog Obam here with another classic episode

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<v Speaker 1>from our archives. This one concerns a bit of animal psychology.

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<v Speaker 1>If you've ever owned a dog and you've ever been

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<v Speaker 1>upset around it, the chances are good that it reacted

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<v Speaker 1>in some way. My Golden Show mix Chloe would always

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<v Speaker 1>come lick my kneecaps when I got too sad, and

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<v Speaker 1>science has proven that dogs know what they're doing and

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<v Speaker 1>they want to help. Hey brain Stuff, Lauren bog obam here.

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<v Speaker 1>Researchers from Johns Hopkins University have confirmed what most dog

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<v Speaker 1>owners already know. The dogs have strong emotional bonds with

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<v Speaker 1>their owners and want to help when we're upset. In

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<v Speaker 1>a paper titled in homage to Lassie Timmy's in the Well,

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<v Speaker 1>Empathy and pro Social Helping in Dogs, published in a

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<v Speaker 1>issue of the journal Learning and Behavior, researchers described how

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<v Speaker 1>dogs pushed through a door when they heard their owners crying.

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<v Speaker 1>Lead author Emily Sandford, a graduate student in psychological and

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<v Speaker 1>brain sciences, set in the paper, we found dogs not

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<v Speaker 1>only sense what their owners are feeling. If a dog

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<v Speaker 1>knows a way to help them, they'll go through barriers

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<v Speaker 1>to provide that help to them. A study found dogs

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<v Speaker 1>may be hardwired to comfort us when we're sad, regardless

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<v Speaker 1>of whether the dog knows us or not. When a

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<v Speaker 1>stranger and the dog's owner cried, the dogs approached whoever

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<v Speaker 1>was bawling in a submissive way. The dogs, the researchers concluded,

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<v Speaker 1>responded empathetically to the person's emotions and not their own needs.

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<v Speaker 1>But Sandford's research is the first to show that our

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<v Speaker 1>beloved four legged friends are specifically moved to action when

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<v Speaker 1>they see their owners in emotional distress. The experiment involved

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<v Speaker 1>thirty four pet dogs of varying breeds. Some were big,

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<v Speaker 1>some small. Here's how it all played out. Researchers told

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<v Speaker 1>the dogs owners wanted a time to stand behind a

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<v Speaker 1>clear door held shut by magnets. The owners dogs could

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<v Speaker 1>see and hear what was going on. Researchers then had

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<v Speaker 1>humans hum Twinkle Twinkle, Little Star, or pretend to cry.

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<v Speaker 1>While not all the dogs opened the door, those that

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<v Speaker 1>did opened it three times faster when they heard their

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<v Speaker 1>owners crying Instead of humming. Researchers also measured the dog's

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<v Speaker 1>stress level. Those that were able to bolt through the

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<v Speaker 1>door to rescue. Their owners showed less stress even though

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<v Speaker 1>they were upset by the crying. Even though they were upset,

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<v Speaker 1>they weren't too frazzled to take action. The researchers concluded.

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<v Speaker 1>The dogs that didn't push the door open were more

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<v Speaker 1>stressed out. It seems the researchers surmised those dogs were

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<v Speaker 1>so troubled by their owners crying that they couldn't do

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<v Speaker 1>anything to help. Sandford said, dogs have been by the

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<v Speaker 1>side of humans for tens of thousands of years, and

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<v Speaker 1>they've learned to read our social cues. Dog owners can

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<v Speaker 1>tell that their dogs sense their feelings. Our findings reinforced

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<v Speaker 1>that idea and show that, like Lassie, dogs who know

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<v Speaker 1>their people are in trouble might spring into action. These

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<v Speaker 1>episode is based on the article Your Dog Really Wants

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<v Speaker 1>to Help when You're Upset on how stuff Works dot Com,

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<v Speaker 1>written by John Paritano. Brain Stuff is production of I

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<v Speaker 1>Heart Radio in partnership with how stuff Works dot Com,

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<v Speaker 1>and it's produced by Tyler Clang. Four more podcasts my

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<v Speaker 1>heart Radio, visit the I heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,

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<v Speaker 1>or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.