Dogs may have evolved to capitalize on our preference for big-eyed, child-like faces, according to new research.
When man’s best friend raises its inner brows, it makes the eyes appear larger – like those of a baby – a look that prospective adopters respond to. Scientists at the University of Portsmouth observed 27 shelter dogs and counted the number of times each animal raised its inner brows and widened its eyes when a person approached.
The dogs were all Staffordshire bull terriers and Mastiffs between the ages of 7 months and 8 years old, and the ones that raised their brows were consistently adopted faster than those that didn’t. Head researcher Dr. Bridget Waller says this is evidence that domestic dogs have evolved to make these “puppy dog eyes.”
“The results of this research suggest that wolves which produced child-like expressions may have been more tolerated by humans, and so modern dogs have inherited these features,” she said.
We might have automatically opted for dogs which produced facial movements that enhanced their baby-like faces. Raised inner brows are also closely associated with sadness in humans and so another possibility is that humans are responding to a perceived sadness in the dog.”
