The happiest people on the planet during the pandemic were dogs.
That’s because their owners didn’t have to go to work every day.
Instead, they got to stay home with their beloved dogs.
But there were a lot of lonely dogs when people started heading back into the office.
A lot of those dog owners got hit with some “puppy dog eyes” trying to fill them with guilt so they would stay home.
Apparently, “puppy dog eyes” is something that dogs, who were domesticated from wolves over 33,000 years ago, evolved to do over time in order to help them get along better with humans.
“During domestication, dogs developed a facial muscle allowing them to raise the inner part of the eyebrows – giving them ‘sad eyes.’ Wolves do not have this muscle and the only dog species without it is the Siberian husky, one of the most ancient breeds,” the Independent reports.
Scientists at the University of Portsmouth found that the eyebrow-raising movement is used to trigger a nurturing response in humans.
It makes the dog’s eyes seem larger and more infant-like, in addition to resembling a movement humans make when they are sad.
The study compared the facial anatomy of four wild wolves and six domestic dogs, and also conducted a behavior analysis of nine wolves and 27 shelter dogs.
“The evidence is compelling that dogs developed a muscle to raise the inner eyebrow after they were domesticated from wolves,” Psychologist Dr. Juliane Kaminski said. “The findings suggest that expressive eyebrows in dogs may be a result of humans’ unconscious preferences that influenced selection during domestication.”
“When dogs make the movement, it seems to elicit a strong desire in humans to look after them. This would give dogs that move their eyebrows more a selection advantage over others and reinforce the ‘puppy dog eyes’ trait for future generations.”
This muscle does not exist in wolves and it is believed by scientists that its existence in dogs was the result of “substantial evolutionary pressure.”
“It is really remarkable that these simple differences in facial expression may have helped define the relationship between early dogs and humans,” said Anatomist Adam Hartstone-Rose of North Carolina State University.
One dog from Littleton, Colorado has an extremely strong eyebrow muscle.
He’s got the whole puppy dog eyes thing down pat.
And he knows exactly how to use it… to try and convince mom to stay home with him. Or at least bring him with her.
“I got a new job, and now when I get ready, he knows I’m leaving without him. He does this in different places every morning in hopes I’ll bring him,” his mom said.
She posted a video of the puppo sitting up straight on his butt with his paws up in the air looking at her with a sad face.
He then starts shaking and his eyes tear up. It looks like he is about to cry. Mom tries to apologize, but he doesn’t want to hear it. It’s enough to make anyone tear up.
Watch the video below and try not to cry.
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
Source: ViralHog, Independent
