Can You Really Have a Heart -To- Heart With Fido?

By Rebecca Morelle
February 20, 2014
bbc.com

            Man’s best friend is always there to comfort and protect its owner. Is this instinct or do they really understand human emotions?  Through a series of experiments, the Hungarian Academy of Science found that the canine brain reacts to voices the same way that the human brain does. That explains why most dogs comfort their owners when they feel their owner is sick or upset. Researchers at the university conducted MRI scans on both dogs and humans. The dogs were placed on an MRI scanner and were played 200 different sounds, ranging from environmental noises, such as cars and whistles, to human sounds, such as crying or laughter. The researchers conducted the same experiment with human volunteers. The results were astounding. They showed that the temporal lobe was immediately activated by the sounds in both dogs and the human volunteers the same way. Many researchers claim, “it is the first time we have seen this in a non-primate.” However, the results only showed that dogs and humans react the same way when it comes to sounds. What about words? The scientists at the Hungarian university are hoping to conduct another similar experiment except with words. If the dogs react the same way to the words, then this will create a true understanding between the man and his best friend.