Love or hate them, dogs have been a part of society for longer than we could even fathom. But according to a new study, there's a good reason for that. As research suggests, the domesticated animals have actually been programmed to gravitate towards humans. Here's what recent findings have uncovered...
According to a report in Current Biology, domestication has rewired dogs' brains to be subconsciously drawn to humans. It all started when Brian Hare, a professor of evolutionary anthropology at Duke University, put together a team to study the true meaning behind canines' longstanding bond with humans. So, what'd he do?
Hare compared puppies (Labradors or golden retrievers, or mixtures of the two) with their wild cousins, young wolves. While both sets were raised by humans, Hare's team quickly noticed a difference in the animals' behavior: puppies were 30 times as likely to engage with unfamiliar human beings, while 5 times more likely to engage with familiar ones.
"This study really solidifies the evidence that the social genius of dogs is a product of domestication," Hare assured of his study's findings. "It is something they are really born prepared to do." Most dog owners can probably attest to Hare's findings: Dogs really are a man's best friend.
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