A group of researchers from Queen Mary University of London, together with scientists from the Technical University of Munich and the University of São Paulo, conducted an experiment with twenty ordinary goats, showing them photographs of people with happy and angry facial expressions. As a result, it was found that goats are more likely to look at, approach, and nudge their noses at happy faces.
A particularly noticeable preference for happy faces was observed in goats when the photographs were placed to their right. Researchers suggest that this is related to the fact that in this case, visual information primarily entered the left hemisphere, which is responsible for emotional perception. The results of this study are published in the journal Royal Society Open Science.
Zoologists, as well as goat owners, already knew about these animals' ability to read human body language. However, the fact that goats can distinguish facial expressions even when presented with not real living faces, but black-and-white static photographs, was an unexpected discovery.
We may underestimate the abilities of animals to perceive our emotions, especially when it comes to livestock, which is traditionally considered less responsive to human feelings.
Leave a comment