15/12/2024
Interesting how dogs have changed or perhaps we have selected for that change to help us both communicate better over time 💗🐕💗
Dogs' eyes evolved to appeal to humans:
Researchers have discovered that dogs have evolved specific muscles around their eyes that allow them to make expressions particularly appealing to humans.
A small facial muscle enables dogs to create "infant-like" expressions, often referred to as "puppy eyes," which trigger nurturing responses from humans. This adaptation is believed to have helped domesticated dogs bond more closely with people over thousands of years.
The study, co-authored by Dr. Juliane Kaminski from the University of Portsmouth, shows that this muscle development allows dogs to raise their inner eyebrows, making their eyes appear larger and more infant-like—similar to a human expression of sadness. Such expressions elicit a strong protective instinct in humans, giving dogs with these features an evolutionary advantage. Over time, as humans unconsciously preferred to breed dogs with this appealing trait, the change became more prominent.
The research, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, highlights how dogs have used this "puppy eyes" expression to communicate and bond with humans, reinforcing the deep connection between the two species.
