At a Glance
- A study found that people often misinterpret dogs’ emotions due to the context of a situation rather than the dog’s actual behavior.
- Participants watched videos of dogs in positive and negative scenarios and judged their emotions based on the background (e.g., treats vs. vacuum noise) rather than the dogs’ expressions.
- When researchers altered video contexts while keeping the dogs’ behaviors the same, participants still judged emotions based on the surrounding situation, confirming external influence on perception.
- The study suggests that people project their own emotions onto dogs, making it difficult to assess a dog’s true feelings accurately.
- Recognizing these biases can help pet owners focus on behavioral cues rather than assumptions, leading to a stronger and more accurate understanding of their dogs’ emotions.
A new study from Arizona State University reveals that humans may often misread their dogs’ emotions due to outside factors influencing our perceptions. Researchers conducted two experiments to explore how the context of a situation can affect how people perceive a dog’s mood. People watched videos of dogs in positive and negative situations in these experiments. However, their emotional reactions were often influenced by the background of the video, not just the dog’s behavior.
In the first experiment, participants were shown videos of dogs in happy situations, such as getting treats, or unhappy situations, like hearing a vacuum cleaner. The researchers found that the context, such as whether the dog appeared to be reacting to something positive or negative, heavily influenced how people rated the dog’s emotions. For example, people assumed a dog receiving a treat was happy, while a dog reacting to a vacuum was seen as upset, regardless of the dog’s actual behavior.
The second experiment took this further by editing the videos so that the dog’s facial expressions and actions were identical, but the context was altered. In this case, dogs in happy situations were made to appear as though they were in negative scenarios and vice versa. Despite the dogs doing the same thing, participants judged their emotions based on the context—again showing that people tend to misinterpret a dog’s feelings based on external factors rather than focusing on the dog’s actions.
The researchers concluded that humans may have difficulty understanding their dogs’ emotions because we often project our feelings onto them. By recognizing these biases, pet owners can work to pay closer attention to their dogs’ behavior and cues, leading to a better understanding and stronger bond with their pets. This study, published in Anthrozoös, highlights the importance of being mindful of our perceptions when interpreting animal emotions.
References
- Molinaro, H. G., & Wynne, C. D. L. (2025). Barking up the wrong tree: Human perception of dog emotions is influenced by extraneous factors. Anthrozoös, 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1080/08927936.2025.2469400
- Arizona State University. (2025, March 10). Research reveals humans struggle to accurately read dogs’ emotions. Phys.Org; Arizona State University. https://phys.org/news/2025-03-reveals-humans-struggle-accurately-dogs.html
