Scientists have found that dogs don’t just look like our their owners anymore. They act like them, too.
Dogs can imitate human emotions, and even take on parts of their owners’ personalities, according to a new study published in the journal PLOS ONE. In the study, Austrian researchers monitored stress levels of 132 dogs and their owners using physical markers and behavioral tests. The human volunteers also completed a survey for themselves and their pet to indicate which of the Big Five personality traits —agreeableness, neuroticism, extraversion, conscientiousness and openness— they lean towards.
The results found that the more relaxed the owner, the more tranquil the dog. And that influence goes both ways: Both owners and furry friends mirror one another’s coping mechanisms.
“Our results nicely fit to experience from practice: owners and dogs are social dyads [a group of two], and they influence each other’s stress coping,” Dr. Iris Schoberl, of the University of Vienna, told BBC News.
Read more about the fascinating research in the journal PLOS ONE.
—RealClearLife
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