<p class="title">Dogs are attracted to smiling human faces, according to a study that shows oxytocin, the hormone associated with affection and trust, is a key factor in the interaction.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"It seems that the hormone oxytocin influences what the dog sees and how it experiences the thing it sees," said Sanni Somppi, from the University of Helsinki in Finland.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The study, published in the journal, Frontiers in Psychology, showed 43 dogs images of smiling and angry faces on a computer screen.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Each dog was tested twice: once under the influence of oxytocin and once without oxytocin.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The dog's gaze on the images and pupil size were measured with an eye-tracking device.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Emotions and attentiveness guide the gaze and regulate pupil size, making eye tracking a window into the dogs' minds.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Dogs typically focus on the most remarkable aspect of each situation, such as threatening stimuli in a frightening situation.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Recognising and interpreting threats quickly is important for survival. Dogs under the influence of oxytocin were more interested in smiling faces than they were in angry ones.</p>.<p class="bodytext">In addition, oxytocin also influenced the dogs' emotional states, which was evident in their pupil size.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Without oxytocin, the dogs' pupils were at their largest when they looked at angry faces. This indicated that the angry faces caused the most powerful emotional reaction in the dogs.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Under the influence of oxytocin, however, images of smiling faces enhanced the dogs' emotional state more than angry ones.</p>.<p class="bodytext">This is to say that oxytocin probably made the angry faces seem less threatening and the smiling faces more appealing.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"Both effects promote dog-human communication and the development of affectionate relations," said Outi Vainio, from the University of Helsinki. </p>
<p class="title">Dogs are attracted to smiling human faces, according to a study that shows oxytocin, the hormone associated with affection and trust, is a key factor in the interaction.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"It seems that the hormone oxytocin influences what the dog sees and how it experiences the thing it sees," said Sanni Somppi, from the University of Helsinki in Finland.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The study, published in the journal, Frontiers in Psychology, showed 43 dogs images of smiling and angry faces on a computer screen.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Each dog was tested twice: once under the influence of oxytocin and once without oxytocin.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The dog's gaze on the images and pupil size were measured with an eye-tracking device.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Emotions and attentiveness guide the gaze and regulate pupil size, making eye tracking a window into the dogs' minds.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Dogs typically focus on the most remarkable aspect of each situation, such as threatening stimuli in a frightening situation.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Recognising and interpreting threats quickly is important for survival. Dogs under the influence of oxytocin were more interested in smiling faces than they were in angry ones.</p>.<p class="bodytext">In addition, oxytocin also influenced the dogs' emotional states, which was evident in their pupil size.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Without oxytocin, the dogs' pupils were at their largest when they looked at angry faces. This indicated that the angry faces caused the most powerful emotional reaction in the dogs.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Under the influence of oxytocin, however, images of smiling faces enhanced the dogs' emotional state more than angry ones.</p>.<p class="bodytext">This is to say that oxytocin probably made the angry faces seem less threatening and the smiling faces more appealing.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"Both effects promote dog-human communication and the development of affectionate relations," said Outi Vainio, from the University of Helsinki. </p>