Study on jealousy: like dogs, like humans

Most dog owners know that their four-legged friends experience jealousy whenever the attention they seek is diverted to someone or something else. A study published in PLOS ONE (July 23, 2014), a scientific journal, confirms that dogs do get jealous. Other scientists say the research may influence human studies on the complex emotion.

Christine Harris, professor of psychology at the University of California, San Diego, conducted the dog jealousy study. She gave dog owners three objects: (1) a picture book that the owners read aloud, (2) a toy dog that moved and barked, and (3) an object that their own dog had never seen before (a lolly bucket). The dog owners were asked to treat the toy dog and bucket like real dogs – pat them, talk to them, and play with them. Of course they had to do this in front of their own dogs.

The results of the study showed that 80% of dogs pushed or touched their owners whenever the owner was cuddling the toy dog or lolly bucket. They did this twice as much when the toy dog was given attention than when the bucket was given attention, and four times more than when their owner was reading the book. And 25% of dogs snapped or barked at the toy dog. Only one dog barked at the bucket and the book.

Harris maintains that the dogs' reactions suggest a basic instinct for jealousy – and to express a visual display of displeasure. Some had violent reactions when they perceived a rival was given the attention they wanted or expected.

The research studied only 36 dogs, but Harris thinks it may lead to further studies on jealous behaviour – of dogs and humans. “It suggests that some of our ideas about the nature of jealousy, like that it requires complex cognition, are incorrect,” Harris said. “All you need is a loved one and a rival.”

The study may lead to how and why jealousy evolved, from infancy to adulthood. Once researchers understand how jealousy develops, they can understand what aspects are unhealthy, and what leads to violent reactions. “Jealousy has tremendous human consequences,” Harris said. “And for adult humans it’s very complex. We think about these experiences after they occur, wondering if they mean that we’re unlovable or ugly, or if we’re going to lose our best friend or our lover. It’s a very rich emotion.”

www.canberratimes.com.au July 25, 2014

Comments

2016 update on Rike Park, Tbilisi: from construction to busy park

From a flat patch of uninteresting dirt, Rike Park in Tbilisi, Georgia, has transformed in four years (from 2014-2016) into a busy park full of trees, flower beds, sculptures, fountains, and events. Rike (Rikhe) Park is on the left bank of the Mt’k’vari River (the Kura River) near the Old City of Tbilisi. The Peace Bridge links the right bank to Rike Park. Rike Park is below the hillside Presidential Palace and, via cable car, it is the starting point for the ride to Sololaki Ridge (with the Narikala Fortress and the Mother of Georgia statue). The glass box-shaped cable car terminus was opened on 23 June 2012, and since then the park has continually developed into a ‘people’s park’ where people can walk around, eat at the nearby restaurants, sit next to the statue of American president Ronald Reagan, climb the steps to Avlabari district, and access the sights of Meidan Square, the Peace Bridge, the Metekhi Church, the Old City, the waterfall, the sulphur baths, and t...

The acacia thorn trees of Kenya

There are nearly 800 species of acacia trees in the world, and most don’t have thorns. The famous "whistling thorn tree" and the Umbrella Thorn tree of Kenya are species of acacia that do have thorns, or spines. Giraffes and other herbivores normally eat thorny acacia foliage, but leave the whistling thorn alone. Usually spines are no deterrent to giraffes. Their long tongues are adapted to strip the leaves from the branches despite the thorns. The thorny acacia like dry and hot conditions. The thorns typically occur in pairs and are 5-8 centimetres (2-3 inches) long. Spines can be straight or curved depending on the species. MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the author of:- Similar But Different in the Animal Kingdom (2017), The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Suda...

Hop on hop off bus tourism comes to Tbilisi, Georgia

City Sightseeing buses have arrived in Tbilisi. The iconic red double-decker buses, a feature of many cities around the world since the company was established in Seville, Spain in 1999, is now in six continents and almost 100 cities. The company established its Tbilisi business in November 2013, with its operations commencing in February 2014. The 90-minute tour stops at 11 major locations in Tbilisi (with 2 to 5 minute waiting times at each location): the Old City (where it commences), Freedom Square, Rose Revolution Square, Marjanishvili Square, the Dry Bridge, Konka, Avlabari, Metekhi, Akhundov Museum, the Sulfur Baths, and European Square. Passengers can hop off at any stop and see the sights, hopping back onto the next bus at any time. Alternatively, passengers can remain on the bus for the whole tour and take photographs when the bus stops at each location. There are one day (24-hour) passes (for 35 lari – about $20) and 48-hour passes for 55 lari, with family d...

FEAST OR FAMINE

Search This Blog