Have you ever felt a strong connection to your dog when you've gazed into their eyes? Studies show that bond is very real, and will continue to grow the more you pet them and make eye contact.
The study, conducted by the Chinese Academy of Sciences and led by biologist Wei Ren, reveals that mutual gazing between humans and their dogs can cause their brains to sync with each other. The findings also show that as pets and their companions grow more familiar with each other, the synchronisation may become stronger.
It has long been known that humans brains sync with each other as we interact but this research marks the first time that brain synchronicity has ever been observed across species.
Landmark study
The study paired 10 beagles with unknown humans over five days and analysed EEG brain signals from both.
Previously unfamiliar pairs had their brain activity recorded while in separate rooms, in the same room but not interacting, and while petting and looking into each other's eyes.
For comparison, a control group of humans and dogs was made to stay in the same room, but not interact.
The strength of the synchronisation increases with a growing familiarity between the dog and human over five days
"We observed that inter-brain correlations in frontal and parietal regions dramatically increased… during mutual gaze," the authors of the study wrote.
The study also showed that the strength of inter-brain synchronisation increased when the humans were asked to pet the dogs in combination with gazing into their eyes. There was also a dramatic increase in synchronicity as the humans and dogs became more familiar with each other over the five days.
These findings suggest we really do bond with our pets on a deeper neurological level. So, give your pooch a lot more petting and eye contact when you can. It will only strengthen your beautiful bond!
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