A new study finds dogs display jealousy-like behavior even when they only hear their owner interacting with another “dog.”
Jealousy has often been described as a uniquely human emotion, tied to self-awareness and social reasoning. However, a recent study by Bastos et al. challenges that notion by showing that dogs, too, exhibit behaviors resembling jealousy. In this experiment, 18 pet dogs were exposed to scenarios where their owners interacted with either a realistic-looking fake dog or a neutral object behind a barrier—completely out of sight of the test dog.
The results revealed that jealous behavior only emerged when the dogs perceived their owners interacting with a social rival, not just any object. This suggests that dogs are capable of mentally representing social situations and reacting emotionally, even without direct visual cues. Notably, dogs reacted more strongly to their owner’s interaction with the fake dog than with the fleece cylinder, indicating the social specificity of their responses.
This study provides the first empirical evidence that dogs can represent jealousy-inducing interactions in their minds and respond accordingly. It adds to the growing body of research indicating that canine emotions and social cognition may be more sophisticated than previously assumed.
