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

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff. From How Stuff Works, Hey, brain Stuff,

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<v Speaker 1>Lauren vogelbam here, Researchers from Johns Hopkins University have confirmed

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<v Speaker 1>what most dog owners already know. The dogs have strong

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<v Speaker 1>emotional bonds with their owners and want to help when

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<v Speaker 1>we're upset. In a paper titled in homage to Lassie

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<v Speaker 1>Timmy's in the Well, Empathy and pro Social Helping in Dogs,

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<v Speaker 1>published in eighteen issue of the journal Learning and Behavior,

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<v Speaker 1>researchers described how dogs pushed through a door when they

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<v Speaker 1>heard their owners crying. Lead author Emily Sandford, a graduate

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<v Speaker 1>student in psychological and brain sciences, set in the paper

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<v Speaker 1>we found dogs not only sense what their owners are feeling.

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<v Speaker 1>If a dog knows a way to help them, they'll

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<v Speaker 1>go through barriers to provide that help to them. Study

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

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

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

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

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<v Speaker 1>researchers concluded, responded empathetically to the person's emotions and not

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<v Speaker 1>their own needs. But Sandford's research is the first to

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<v Speaker 1>show that our beloved four legged friends are specifically moved

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<v Speaker 1>to action when they see their owners in emotional distress.

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<v Speaker 1>The experiment involved thirty four pet dogs of varying breeds.

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<v Speaker 1>Some were big, some small. Here's how it all played out.

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

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<v Speaker 1>behind a clear door held shut by magnets. The owners

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<v Speaker 1>dogs could see and hear what was going on. Researchers

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<v Speaker 1>then had the humans hum Twinkle Twinkle, Little Star or

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<v Speaker 1>pretend to cry. While not all the dogs opened the door,

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<v Speaker 1>those that did opened it three times faster when they

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<v Speaker 1>heard their owners crying instead of humming. Researchers also measured

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<v Speaker 1>the dog's stress level. Those that were able to bolt

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<v Speaker 1>through the door to rescue their owners showed less stress,

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

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<v Speaker 1>they were upset, they weren't too frazzled to take action.

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<v Speaker 1>Researchers concluded the dogs that didn't push the door open

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

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<v Speaker 1>dogs were so troubled by their owners crying that they

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<v Speaker 1>couldn't do anything to help. Sandford said dogs have been

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

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

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

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

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

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<v Speaker 1>Today's episode was written by John Paritano and produced by

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<v Speaker 1>Tyler Clang. If you love our show and want to

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