Bonding Through Domestication

This chapter examines the deepening relationship between humans and pets, particularly dogs, and its psychological impacts on development. It also highlights the evolutionary advantages of friendliness across species and discusses a long-term experiment with foxes that showcases the unexpected traits resulting from selective breeding for sociability.

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What are our animal companions thinking? And how does our friendship with them change their brains, and our brains?

We all wish we could communicate with our pets. Though we may never share a language, modern neuroscience has enabled us to ethically understand the cognitive anatomy and emotional signals of other animals like never before.

In this episode of ‘Your Brain On...’, we discuss what we’ve learned so far, including:

• The neurological phenomena that leads to domestication and, in turn, animal companionship

• How oxytocin studies have signified that, yes, our dogs do love us back

• The research that has shown how some companions might value social rewards from humans just as much as they value the food we provide for them

• The differences (and similarities) between canine brains and human brains

• How dogs do understand us to a degree, but not quite in the linguistic sense we might like to believe

• The incredible things dogs can do for dementia patients

• The importance of ethics in animal research

• Why understanding the emotional capacity of other animals is vital

Our guests for this episode are two of the foremost voices in animal cognition:

BRIAN HARE: Professor in Evolutionary Anthropology, Psychology, and Neuroscience at Duke University, and a core member of their Center of Cognitive Neuroscience. Plus: co-author of ‘The Genius of Dogs’ and ‘Survival of the Friendliest’.

GREGORY BERNS: Professor of Psychology and Distinguished Professor of Neuroeconomics, researcher of dogs (and more recently, cows), and author of ‘How Dogs Love Us’ and ‘Cowpuppy: An Unexpected Friendship and a Scientist’s Journey into the Secret World of Cows’.

‘Your Brain On’ is hosted by neurologists, scientists and public health advocates Ayesha and Dean Sherzai.

Drs. Ayesha and Dean are now welcoming patients via the Brain Health Institute: https://brainhealthinstitute.com/

‘Your Brain On... Having A Pet’ • SEASON 3 • EPISODE 8

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LINKS

Brian Hare:

Brian Hare’s website: https://brianhare.net/

The Hare Lab at Duke University: https://evolutionaryanthropology.duke.edu/hare-lab

Brian’s book, ‘Survival of the Friendliest’: https://a.co/d/2mNhSE1

Gregory Berns:

Gregory Berns’ website: http://gregoryberns.com/

Gregory’s book, ‘Cowpuppy’: https://a.co/d/0gpJYQx