August 11, 2026
Kristin Hunt/PhillyVoice
New research suggests dogs can tell the difference between human emotions. Above, Junebug, a 4-year-old mutt.
Many dog lovers have long known that pooches can pick up on distress, with pups leaning in for a cuddle to cheer up their owners. But new research shows that furry friends might be even more in tune with human emotions than previously thought.
In a study published Monday in iScience, researchers looked into the brain activity of dogs using MRI scanners. Results showed that canines might be able to distinguish not only between positive and negative feelings, but in some cases, also between different types of negative emotions.
During the first experiment, eight dogs were measured while they looked at photos of happy and neutral facial expressions of unfamiliar humans. In that case, the happy faces tripped a response in the part of the brain that views rewards, like getting a treat or a pat on the head, showing that they could tell a difference between the two.
In the next round, they had 12 dogs look at photos of happy faces against photos indicating sadness, anger and fear. When looking at data from that same region of the brain, the dogs could again tell the happy faces apart from the rest, but they didn't seem to be able to tell the difference between the other types of emotions.
When looking at overall brain activity, though, the researchers found that the dogs could tell the difference between sad and fearful as well as angry and fearful, but not angry and sad.
"As far as we know, it's the first time there is proof that dogs can distinguish between faces expressing two [similar] emotions," study co-author Laura Cuaya and University of Vienna researcher told the Washington Post.
Raúl Hernández Pérez, the study's lead author, said the dogs might be able to tell the difference between some of the negative feelings because they signaled different types of threats.
Scientists also noted that the dogs observed photographs for the study, but in real life, they would also be able to note certain body language expressions that could also help them determine a human's mood. Dogs tend to be very physically expressive, so they could pick up on those more quickly. They also can use their keen sense of smell to sniff out chemical indicators of human emotion.
The study was limited to mostly border collies. Additional experiments would need to be conducted to determine the reactions of other breeds.
Studies have shown that dogs can lower stress, anxiety and depression levels, while also helping with loneliness and overall human health. Part of what makes them so interesting, according to Cuaya, is that they've spent thousands of years becoming domesticated, which could have evolutionarily altered their brains to pick up human emotions.
"We can reward our dogs with treats, but also reward them with happiness," Cuaya told BBC. "So we should smile at the dogs — even at random dogs in the street."
