‘Puppy dog eyes’ evolved to communicate

[Still Waters]

THERE’S A REASON we call them “puppy dog eyes”—those soulful, innocent expressions can sway even the most hardened human.

That’s no accident, a new study says. Centuries of domestication have radically reshaped a dog’s eyebrow anatomy, making their faces—and emotions—easily readable to people.

When meeting a person’s gaze, dogs often raise their inner eyebrow muscle to make their eyes look larger and more appealing. 

“There’s no evidence that dogs move this [eyebrow] muscle intentionally, but it creates an exaggerated movement that for us means ‘dog,’” says study leader Juliane Kaminski, a psychologist at the University of Portsmouth in the U.K.

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2019/06/dogs-eyebrows-humans-communication/

[TripGun]

Evolved is a good word for this as it suggests adaptation, evolutionary trait is an entirely different animal (pun intended).

[zep73]

3 hours ago, Still Waters said:

Centuries of domestication have radically reshaped a dog’s eyebrow anatomy, making their faces—and emotions—easily readable to people.

Pets, that we feel we have a connection with, is much more likely to be used for breeding. So it's the human preference that is the cause for the feature, not evolution.

Evolution is all about adapting to the ever changing environment, in order to survive, via mutation - not preference.

[Seti42]

Domesticated dogs and cats also vocalize a lot more than their wild counterparts. When a previously wild animal adapts to live with (or is adapted by) humans, they seem to become more like us. It's a good trade, really. Domesticated animals, despite all the inbreeding, tend to live longer and healthier lives and are never going to face extinction. Unless, of course, humans go extinct...

I think the "master/pet" relationship is more symbiotic than servile.

 

Edited June 18, 2019 by Seti42

[AllPossible]

I flash my puppy dog eyes when I get pulled over then I end up in handcuffs. 

[Imaginarynumber1]

On 6/18/2019 at 2:41 PM, sci-nerd said:

 

Evolution is all about adapting to the ever changing environment, in order to survive, via mutation - not preference.

Evolution occurs not just through through mutation, but also natural selection, genetic drift, and gene flow. 

[SmartAZ]

Evolution supporters reject Lamarckism, but that is exactly what they invoke to explain their theories.

And how exactly did they determine that was associated with evolution, with or without Lamarckism?

Scientists are getting farther and farther away from actual science.

[pallidin]

I love puppies. So cute! So tiny, furry, snuggley and playful!

[openozy]

On 19/06/2019 at 4:41 AM, sci-nerd said:

On 19/06/2019 at 12:50 AM, Still Waters said:

 

Pets, that we feel we have a connection with, is much more likely to be used for breeding. So it's the human preference that is the cause for the feature, not evolution.

Having studied and owned 10 plus dogs at once most of my life, I can tell you its a learned act.I have hunting line dogs that have retired as house pets and they have learned this behaviour.I have a line bred pitbull/mastiff pigdog now that smiles when he meets women and wins them over,if human males did that they might do better with the ladies lol.

[openozy]

I believe animals have intelligence far beyond what humans give them credit for.All animals including insects.

[TripGun]

My dog is a mutt, lab and pit mix and has two distinct personalties. He is all lab when he is sad and all pit when he is happy, I swear he physically changes to his mood. Like that movie Split...crazy.

[openozy]

6 hours ago, TripGun said:

My dog is a mutt, lab and pit mix and has two distinct personalties. He is all lab when he is sad and all pit when he is happy, I swear he physically changes to his mood. Like that movie Split...crazy.

I've noticed this when you cross two widely different breeds,not so much in breeds with similar traits such as my pitbull/mastiff cross,but even in pure breeds if the parents have entirely different traits you will see both in the pups.