Dogs can distinguish between fearful and angry or sad human faces, brain scans suggest | TheBriefWire
Dogs can distinguish between fearful and angry or sad human faces, brain scans suggest
Published 10 August 2026 ยท science
Researchers analysed activity in regions of brain when dogs were shown images of different facial expressions While dogs are known to turn the puppy eyes
Researchers analysed activity in regions of brain when dogs were shown images of different facial expressions While dogs are known to turn the puppy eyes on their owners, it seems our pets are keeping a close eye on us too: research has revealed dog brains can distinguish different types of unhappy human faces.
Dr Laura Cuaya, a co-author of the study from the University of Vienna, said previous behavioural studies had shown dogs could tell apart some human facial expressions, but such studies tended to only test two at a time, one positive and one negative.
As a result, it was not clear if dogs could distinguish different types of happy or unhappy faces. Continue reading...
Published: August 10, 2026 โข 8:30 PM IST ยท Updated: August 10, 2026 โข 9:09 PM ISTBy TheBriefWire Editorial Team
Key points
Researchers analysed activity in regions of brain when dogs were shown images of different facial expressions While dogs are known to turn the puppy eyes on their owners, it seems our pets are keeping a close eye on us too: research has revealed dog brains can distinguish different types of unhappy human faces.
Dr Laura Cuaya, a co-author of the study from the University of Vienna, said previous behavioural studies had shown dogs could tell apart some human facial expressions, but such studies tended to only test two at a time, one positive and one negative.
As a result, it was not clear if dogs could distinguish different types of happy or unhappy faces.