Shafaqna English- By peering into the neural activity of dogs, scientists from the University of Vienna have made a landmark discovery: canines can identify and distinguish between emotional states conveyed through human facial expressions.
The research team claims this is the first time such an ability has been scientifically demonstrated in dogs, providing compelling evidence that our four-legged companions are not only attuned to human vocal cues and body language but also to the subtle visual signals that reveal our emotional states.
In the experiment detailed by the university on Tuesday(11 Aug 2026), researchers utilized machine learning techniques to examine the brain activity of 12 dogs as they looked at pictures of people’s faces conveying different emotions, such as joy, fear, disgust, and surprise.
The use of machine learning was critical to the study, as it enabled the scientists to detect subtle patterns in the dogs’ neural responses that might not have been visible through traditional analytical methods, thereby providing a more nuanced understanding of how dogs process human emotional signals.