Science
Dogs blink more frequently in response to owners' blinks, study indicates
Researchers at the University of Parma found that dogs increase their blinking when viewing videos of their owners blinking, but not when viewing strangers.
The short version
- A study of 35 dogs revealed they blinked more often when watching videos of their owners blinking compared to when their owners maintained a still gaze.
- The increased blinking rate did not occur when the dogs watched unfamiliar humans blink, indicating that partner familiarity influences the behavior.
- Researchers found no evidence that dogs synchronize the timing of their blinks with humans or use blinks to send deliberate, fixed messages.
Key facts
- Researchers led by Dr. Chiara Canori at the University of Parma published a study in Royal Society Open Science evaluating 35 dogs of various breeds.[The Guardian]
- The study isolated human blinks by presenting dogs with 40-second videos of their owners and unfamiliar humans either blinking once every three seconds or keeping a still gaze.[The Guardian]
- Dogs exhibited an increased rate of blinking only when watching their owners blink compared to a still gaze, an effect that was not present when watching strangers.[The Guardian]
- The analysis showed no evidence that the dogs synchronized their blinks with the humans shown on screen.[The Guardian]
What remains uncertain
- Whether blinking acts as a active communicative cue or merely reflects subtle social responsiveness remains unproven, according to external expert Dr. Laura Cuaya and study author Dr. Chiara Canori.[The Guardian]
Sources
- Dogs blink more often when they see owners blinking, study findsThe Guardian - Science