Scientists Have Figured Out Why Dogs Do Those “Sad Puppy” Eyes
And it appears that kids have now learned this trick from dogs!
A new study out of Duquesne (doo-kane) University in Pittsburgh found that the sad puppy look that your dog gives you on a regular basis is the result of tens of thousands of years of evolution.
The researchers believe that when dogs were domesticated about 33,000 years ago, some of them started figuring out that when they made that face, it helped them get what they wanted from humans. Kinda the way your kids give you a similar look when they want something.
So the muscles in their faces evolved to make it easier for them to make that facial expression . . . to the point where it’s now widespread.
Ancient dogs didn’t have those muscles . . . and wolves don’t either.
The researchers say, quote, “You don’t typically see such muscle differences in species that are that closely related” . . . which means that dogs evolved those muscles for a reason. And that reason is to manipulate you.
