In general dogs and pets are a source of unconditional love and companionship. No matter which type of dog owner you are, you will certainly find some people who appreciate your pets more than humans. You probably know someone who loves pets more than humans, don’t you? does one know the rationale for this?
Consistent with recent research, conducted at Northeastern University. Researchers have explored the explanations behind this phenomenon. They found that some people appreciate and feel more sympathy for pets or dogs than other people. The research has already shown that this usually happens in cases of animal abuse.
Here is the reason why some people appreciate their pets more than they do other humans. In this article, I am going to share with you the reason why some people feel more sympathy, and appreciate their pets more than other humans. If you are an owner of a dog or another pet, you are probably familiar with this reason.
Arnold Arluke and Jack Levine, researchers from Northeastern University, conducted this study and published it in the Society and Animals Journal. They researched to find out the reason why some people feel more compassionate to dogs than they do to other humans. While conducting the research, they focused primarily on human and animal abuse. Testing whether people were more distressed by animal abuse or by other human beings.
1- Experiment
More specifically, 240 students participated in the research and asked them to read random fictional stories, written specifically for the study, reported as "news". And to share their level of sympathy during unusual situations. All fictional stories had similar content, except one difference between them which is the victim of the story, like a child or adult being severely beaten with a baseball bat or a puppy or adult dog also being abused. Those who read the stories of the kid, the puppy, and the adult dog showed more pain and mercy than those who only read the story of the adult.
2- Conclusion
The authors of the study concluded that the participants were more stressed with animals suffering than human suffering. And found that the age of the victim is a crucial factor for the reaction of people who see humans abused. Especially when it involves child abuse, where children are seen as helpless. But when it comes to abuse of pets or dogs the victim's age is not important. Perhaps this happened because they believed that humans could defend and protect themselves, while pets or dogs are more vulnerable and helpless in terms of abuse, regardless of their age. The research also revealed that humans are more liable to show empathy if the victims couldn't defend themselves.
By the time you finish reading this research, you should have some idea about why some people appreciate their pets more than humans. Now that you know about the reason why some people love their pets more than humans. You can begin to do more research to learn more about this. You may even want to read some books or articles about this topic. It will definitely help you learn more about the relation between you and your dogs or your pets.
First photo of the article by Erica Magugliani on Unsplash.