Published in Animal Sentience, this commentary by Tom Denson from the University of New South Wales reviews an fMRI study that examined neural responses in dogs exposed to a jealousy-inducing scenario. The original research by Cook et al. involved dogs watching their caregivers feed a fake dog, which reportedly triggered increased amygdala activation—a brain region often linked to emotional arousal.
Denson highlights that amygdala activity does not correspond to a single emotional state. Instead, it reflects general emotional relevance, responding to both positive and negative stimuli. He argues that inferring jealousy from amygdala activation alone is theoretically and empirically flawed. Jealousy, unlike basic emotions such as fear or happiness, is a self-conscious emotion requiring higher-order cognitive processes, including theory of mind and self-awareness—capacities not yet evidenced in dogs.
Moreover, Denson critiques the study’s design, noting that no control condition distinguished jealousy from resource competition. If dogs had been tested with a stranger feeding the fake dog, it might have revealed whether their reactions stemmed from envy or general social interest rather than jealousy toward the caregiver. Additionally, only 13 dogs were tested, and nearly half showed minimal aggression, further limiting conclusions.
Despite his criticism, Denson commends the research for advancing canine neuroimaging and calls for future studies to use whole-brain analyses and functional connectivity methods to better understand canine emotional processing. He concludes that while dogs display rich affective lives, claims of jealousy remain scientifically premature without clearer behavioral and neurological evidence.
Source: Denson, T. (2018). Inferring emotion from amygdala activation alone is problematic. Animal Sentience, 3(9). Published 2018.
