You sleep with your dog, you tell him as if you understood, you celebrate his birthday with a cake and a hat? Don’t worry: you are not alone. Science has a fascinating explanation for this deep link. And yes, it has to do with evolution … and your hormones.
A recent article by the National Geographic, supported by scientific studies published in Plos One, Confirm that the link between man and dog is not a simple mode or a millennium whim: It is the result of dozens of millennia of common evolution. Domestication of dogs has shaped our emotions as much as their own.
A secular and deeply emotional friendship
It all started about 40,000 years ago, when some wolves, more docile, approached human camps in search of food. Instead of being frightened, the men began to coexist with them. It was the first step towards a unique relationship in the history of evolution.
A unique friendship was born 40,000 years ago: wolves who understood humans became dogs.
Over time, these animals have ceased to be useful to become companions. They changed their appearance, behavior and communication mode to adapt to our emotions. Those who have best understood the man survived and reproduced. This is how the dog was born as we know it today.
Today, we know that their ability to read our emotions is not the result of chance. They have developed the ability to interpret our body language, our gestures and even our moods. Have you ever huddled your dog when you are sad? It is not a coincidence, it is science.
Oxytocin, looks and the phenomenon of “doggies”
Science has shown that when you look at your dog in the eyes, Your body releases oxytocin, the same hormone that comes into play in the link between a mother and her child. But that’s not all: she is also released in dogs. Both connect emotionally and chemically.
The study revealed that the areas of the brain that light up at the sight of our dogs are similar to those activated at the sight of our children. For our brain, this hairy creature with a tail is part of the family, the end point.
Today, many dogs have health insurance, a backpack, a pram and an Instagram account. It may seem exaggerated, but this form of love has deep roots: Take care of the one who takes care of you was – and is always – a winning scalable strategy. They gave us company, security, help to hunt. We gave them houses.
Thus, without realizing it, we end up making their bed more comfortable than ours, we talk to them like babies and we celebrate their birthdays. Modern madness? No way. It is the result of 40,000 years of common evolution, of such a strong link that it has changed our brain.
References of the article:
-National Geographic. Do you call your “teddy” dog? It is not an obsession, it is science.
-Pls One. Brain activation patterns when mothers observe their own son and dog: an FMRI study.
