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.
A Heartrending Scene: A Poor Dog Trapped Deep in a Hole, Desperately Pleading for Help
“In the vast tapestry of life, there are stories that touch our hearts and remind us of the enduring power of compassion and rescue. This is the heartwarming story of a lonely puppy, found alone in a deep ditch, crying out for help—a tale that underscores the profound impact that human kindness can have on the lives of the most vulnerable beings.
The story unfolds in a quiet, rural setting, where nature and solitude intertwine. On a serene afternoon, the cries of a puppy broke the stillness, echoing from the depths of a deep ditch by the side of the road. These plaintive pleas for help reached the ears of a passing motorist, who couldn’t ignore the call of a soul in need.
As the rescuer approached the ditch, they were met with a heart-wrenching sight—a tiny, shivering pup, barely a few weeks old, trembling with fear and loneliness. It was clear that this vulnerable being had been abandoned and left to fend for itself in this unforgiving world.
Without hesitation, the rescuer extended a hand of hope and love. They gently lifted the puppy from the depths of the ditch, cradling it close to their heart. The puppy’s cries of despair soon turned into whimpers of relief, as if it knew it had found a guardian angel.
The journey to healing and recovery had begun. The puppy’s cries for love and attention were met with a shower of affection, as if it knew it had found an everlasting source of warmth and security. Gradually, but surely, the puppy’s fear began to recede, replaced by the blossoming of trust and companionship.
Days turned into weeks, and the once-lonely puppy was transformed. It learned to play, to wag its tail in joy, and to offer unconditional love in return for the love it had received. The puppy’s cries of desperation had been replaced by the song of happiness and the enduring power of human kindness.
Today, the once-lonely puppy is a vibrant, happy, and thriving dog, a living embodiment of the boundless potential for transformation and the enduring strength of the human-animal bond. This heartwarming tale inspires us all to heed the call of those in need, for in our acts of rescue and compassion, we have the power to save and transform lives, offering love and a second chance to the most vulnerable among us.”
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