Some people are able to read feline emotions

Some people are able to read feline emotions
Some people are able to read feline emotions
Anonim

The majority of this group are young women who may not even be pet owners.

A study by Georgia Mason, a behavioral biologist at the University of Guelph in Canada, showed that there are people who are capable of deciphering feline emotions on an ongoing basis. Mason calls them "cat charmers".

As part of the study, Mason and her colleagues worked with a group of cat lovers of 6329 people from 85 countries. Participants in the experiment watched from two to twenty short videos demonstrating the emotions of pets, after which they decided what exactly the animal is experiencing in a particular video: joy or sadness. The researchers did not use videos of cats showing flattened ears or bared fangs, as these are well-known signs of feline fear. On average, the result was 11.85 correct answers.

However, about 13% of those surveyed were surprisingly accurate in reading feline emotions, answering correctly at least 15 out of 20 questions. Young women with a veterinary background scored the most points. Moreover, not every one of them was actually the owner of the cat.

The study also showed that humans are better at recognizing positive than negative emotions in animals.

According to Mason, facial expressions for humans are the most important (albeit grossly underestimated) form of communication. The latest research shows that many animals, from rats to horses, have facial expressions that can tell about their mood. Cats are among them.

In future research, the Georgia Mason team hopes to find out why "cat charmers" are so good at what they do. Accurately identifying specific signals on animal facial expressions can help owners and veterinarians better “speak feline”.

Mason also suggests that animals probably use these expressions when interacting with each other. Thus, despite the popular belief that cats are mysterious, impenetrable creatures, in fact, they are very emotional.

The full results of the study are published on Animal Welfare (English).

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