Inside the Minds of Our Pets:

How Our Emotions Can Impact Their Health

We’re all familiar with the phrase “man’s best friend”, which typically applies to canine owners, but can also be appreciated by cat lovers who view their cats as just as close companions. However, research from the UK’s University of Lincoln suggests that the relationship with our pets may be tighter than we realized, with studies showing that dogs may actually be capable of recognizing human emotions.

How Our Pets May “Read” Emotions in Us

The research was based around the premise of the "left gaze bias", a common reaction displayed by humans in that when they look at another face, their eyes are drawn left - therefore with their focus directed on the right hand side of the face (which has been shown to accurately express emotion).

In the studies, the dogs consistently revealed a strong inclination towards this "left gaze bias" when shown human faces, following suit with the reactions of the human participants. In addition, the dogs only displayed this intuitive behavior when looking at human faces, not inanimate objects or other animal faces - which suggests they are in fact trying to "read" whether we are happy, sad, pleased or angry.

How Emotional Well-being Affects Overall Health in Pets

Fido or Fluffy may mirror your emotions, as both cats and dogs can pick up on your happy vibes and tend to express their ‘mood' through body language, according to veterinarian Debbye Turner.

Cats are likely to be happy if you see him or her lying stretched out (displaying security), upright and alert (interested in exploring), or while cleaning themselves (again displaying comfort and security). Dogs will likely be open to making eye contact with you (we all know how a dog bows his head with his tail between his legs if he’s been “bad”!), with ears perked and a relaxed mouth. Both cats and dogs are also generally playful when happy.

Conversely, this means our pets are very keen to pick up on our not so pleasant emotions, which can negatively affect their health. While it's unrealistic to be happy in front of our pets all the time, it is important to be mindful of our influence. If you begin noticing changes in your pet's behavior, such as acting more aggressive, territorial, or distant, an underlying problem may need to be addressed.

In order to help your pet cope with the common stressors of every day life and the ebbs and flows of our own emotions, it is important to ensure the health of the nervous system, which is best achieved by helping your pet achieve a holistic lifestyle.

A healthy diet, regular exercise and a secure home environment, combined with added support from natural remedies, can be of great benefit in supporting nervous system health safely and effectively.

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