When we look at our dogs through the eyes of a scientist, we often see them in unique ways. Who would’ve thought, however, that one of the more interesting things we can learn about dogs comes from something that scientists learned about cats?
Oxytocin is a hormone that is present in animals, including humans and dogs. It is responsible for the sensation of love that we feel as humans. We often produce it at specific times, such as when we are with our children or our mates. Oxytocin may also be released when we look at pictures, such as this:
As it turns out, when dogs were tested for their level of Oxytocin, the results were surprising. They get huge bursts of the hormone every time they look at a human with whom they bonded. Science has basically let us know that our dogs really love us. They checked it scientifically and the test came back positive.
Just so you know, cats also produce Oxytocin but the levels are much lower than what dogs experience. In fact, dog levels are 5 times higher than what is produced in a cat!
Neuroscientist Dr Paul Zak, who assessed the results of the test, said it best in an article on Metro: “It was… a nice surprise to discover that cats produce [oxytocin] at all. At least some of the time, cats seem to bond with their owners.”
In defense of cats, the level of oxytocin is extremely high in dogs. It would even suggest that dogs may just love us more than we would love other humans. How interesting.
Via: Bark Post
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