Dogs’ brains are sensitive to the familiar high-pitched “cute” voice tone that adult humans, especially women, use to talk to babies, according to a new study.
The research, published recently in the journal Communications Biology, found “exciting similarities” between infant and dog brains during the processing of speech with such a high-pitched tone feature.
Humans tend to speak with a specific speech style characterised by exaggerated prosody, or patterns of stress and intonation in a language, when communicating with individuals having limited language competence.
Such speech has previously been found to be very important for the healthy cognitive, social and language development of children, who are also tuned to such a high-pitched voice.
But researchers, including those from the Eötvös Loránd University in Hungary, hoped to assess whether dog brains are also sensitive to this way of communication.
In the study, conscious family dogs were made to listen to dog, infant and adult-directed speech recorded from 12 women and men in real-life interactions.
As the dogs listened, their brain activities were measured using a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scan.
The study found the sound-processing regions of the dogs’ brains responded more to dog- and infant-directed than adult-directed speech.
This marked the first neurological evidence that dog brains are tuned to speech directed specifically at them.
“Studying how dog brains process dog-directed speech is exciting, because it can help us understand how exaggerated prosody contributes to efficient speech processing in a nonhuman species skilled at relying on different speech cues,” explained Anna Gergely, co-first author of the study.
Scientists also found dog- and infant-directed speech sensitivity of dog brains was more pronounced when the speakers were women, and was affected by voice pitch and its variation.
These findings suggest the way we speak to dogs matters, and that their brain is specifically sensitive to the higher-pitched voice tone typical to the female voice.
“Remarkably, the voice tone patterns characterizing women’s dog-directed speech are not typically used in dog-dog communication – our results may thus serve evidence for a neural preference that dogs developed during their domestication,” said Anna Gábor, co-first author of the study.
“Dog brains’ increased sensitivity to dog-directed speech spoken by women specifically may be due to the fact that women more often speak to dogs with exaggerated prosody than men,” Dr Gabor said.
“Reviving Hope: The Emotional Resonance of a Girl’s Warm Hug as She Rescues a Dog from Abandonment and Starvation”
In the quiet shadows of an abandoned house, a tale unfolds—a story of neglect, resilience, and the transformative power of compassion. This is the narrative of a girl whose warm hug became the beacon of hope for a dog left to starve and suffer in isolation. The poignant rescue not only warmed the dog’s cold heart but also stirred a collective wave of sadness and sympathy.
The story begins in the desolation of an abandoned house, where the echoes of neglect reverberate through the silent corridors. In a dark corner, a dog, once a beacon of joy, now endures days of hunger and loneliness, the weight of abandonment etched in the weariness of its eyes.
Enter the girl, a compassionate soul who, moved by empathy, discovers the forsaken canine. Ignoring the dilapidated surroundings, she extends a hand of rescue to the starved creature, embodying the essence of kindness that transcends species boundaries.
As the girl wraps the emaciated dog in a blanket of compassion, a warmth permeates the air—an embrace that speaks volumes without words. The once-neglected creature, now cradled in the arms of care, begins to feel the thawing of its heart, and a flicker of life returns to its dimming eyes.
The pivotal moment comes when the girl, recognizing the power of touch, envelops the dog in a warm hug. It is a gesture that transcends the physical, conveying a sense of solace and understanding that words could never capture. In that embrace, a connection is forged—a bridge between two souls, one yearning for love, the other offering it unconditionally.
The heartwarming rescue, shared through the lens of compassion, resonates with the broader community. As the images and story circulate, they evoke a collective sadness, inviting onlookers to confront the harsh realities of animal abandonment and rally against such acts of neglect.
In conclusion, the story of the girl’s warm hug rescuing the abandoned and starved dog is a testament to the redemptive power of compassion. It serves as a call to action against the silent suffering of neglected animals, encouraging a collective effort to create a world where every creature, no matter how forsaken, can experience the warmth of love and care. The narrative is a poignant reminder that, in the embrace of compassion, even the most desolate souls can find healing, redemption, and a chance for a brighter tomorrow.
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