Emotions are not only inherent to humans. Charles Darwin described 'innate' and 'evolutionary' emotions in dogs, cats, chimpanzees, and swans in his time. However, they differ from human emotions, which often leads to errors in their interpretation.
Understanding the emotions of pets can be challenging, especially when they do not express them openly. In such cases, heart rate monitoring comes to the rescue, allowing for the detection of even hidden feelings in animals.
Animals cannot verbally communicate their emotions, and people often misinterpret how their pets feel. This can lead to owners, even with the best intentions, causing their beloved animals to feel worse. The reason lies in our tendency to anthropomorphize animals, attributing human emotions and expressions to them, which clouds our understanding of their true feelings.
It is important to learn how to recognize how animals perceive emotions. This will help to show more humanity and compassion in moments when it is particularly needed. To gain a deeper understanding of animal emotions, researchers have turned to an organ that cannot be deceived — the heart. By measuring changes in animals' pulse in response to various situations, scientists can better understand what feelings pets experience in different circumstances.
Emotional arousal in both humans and animals can be quantitatively assessed by heart rate, measured in beats per minute. The use of wearable heart rate sensors, implants, or similar devices allows for a glimpse into the emotional world of animals.
Heart rates in animals significantly increase during aggressive encounters, such as fights, and decrease during friendly interactions, such as courtship with another animal. For example, in gray geese, the average heart rate during aggressive interactions increases from 84 beats per minute to 157. The heart rate rises even more when geese fight against a stronger opponent. This indicates that geese experience greater emotional arousal during confrontations they are likely to lose.
Although this may be related to increased physical activity, a similar rise in pulse is observed in those individuals who simply watch other males fight. The heart rate of geese significantly increases when a relative is involved in the fight. Furthermore, heart rate can also provide insight into the cognitive abilities of animals. For instance, in chimpanzees, the average heart rate varies depending on whether they are shown pictures of aggressive, friendly, or unfamiliar chimpanzees. This suggests that they are capable of recognizing different emotions even in images.
