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

Pir-E-Kamil - The Perfect Mentor by Umera Ahmed: book review

The Perfect Mentor pbuh (2011) is set in Lahore and Islamabad in Pakistan. The novel commences with Imama Mubeen in medical university. She wants to be an eye specialist. Her parents have arranged for her to marry her first cousin Asjad. Salar Sikander, her neighbour, is 18 years old with an IQ of 150+ and a photographic memory. He has long hair tied in a ponytail. He imbibes alcohol, treats women disrespectfully and is generally a “weird chap” and a rude, belligerent teenager. In the past three years he has tried to commit suicide three times. He tries again. Imama and her brother, Waseem, answer the servant’s call to help Salar. They stop the bleeding from his wrist and save his life. Imama and Asjad have been engaged for three years, because she wants to finish her studies first. Imama is really delaying her marriage to Asjad because she loves Jalal Ansar. She proposes to him and he says yes. But he knows his parents won’t agree, nor will Imama’s parents. ...

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...

Shindi: the Georgian Cornelian cherry

The Cornelian cherry – shindi in Georgian – is a fruit with medicinal and decorative properties. It was grown from ancient times, according to the International Society for Horticultural Science (ISHS). It is also commonly called the European cornel. It is native to southern Europe from France to Ukraine as well as Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran, Turkey, Israel, Lebanon, and Syria. The Cornelian cherry tree ( Cornus mas ) can be grown in orchards, but it is often seen in the forests of Georgia where it grows up to 1,350 metres above sea level. It is a medium to large deciduous tree, growing from 5-12 metres tall. The flowers are small with four yellow petals in clusters, which flower in February and March. The Cornus mas has three botanical varieties: (1) var. typica Sanadze with cylindrical red fruits, (2) var. pyriformis Sanadze with pear-shaped red fruits, and (3) var. flava vest with yellow fruits. The fruits are oblong red drupes about 2 centimetres ...

FEAST OR FAMINE

Search This Blog