Research into canine emotion has often centered on observable expressions such as facial signals, vocalizations, and gestures, with many interpretations shaped by human empathy. In his 2017 article, Peter F. Cook challenges this approach, arguing that studying only external signals risks anthropomorphism and may not accurately reflect a dog’s internal state.
Instead, Cook advocates for an affective neuroscience framework that emphasizes direct measurement of physiological responses across different contexts. This includes tools such as MRI, hormone analysis, and peripheral physiological measures, which can provide more reliable insights into how dogs process and deploy emotions. He highlights studies showing, for example, that neural reward systems activate when dogs smell their owners, and oxytocin release occurs during mutual gazing between dogs and humans.
Cook stresses that while dogs may not share human emotional states, their unique evolutionary adaptation to the human social niche makes them ideal subjects for studying the biological underpinnings of complex social emotion. By integrating physiological data with behavioral observations, researchers can move toward a more accurate understanding of canine emotional processes, avoiding assumptions rooted in human-centered interpretations.
Source: Cook, P. (2017). Studying dog emotion beyond expression and without concern for feeling. Animal Sentience: An Interdisciplinary Journal on Animal Feeling, 2, 15. Publication Year: 2017. Author: Peter F. Cook.
