Why Your Pet May Not Be Happy When They Are Smiling

Many of us think we know our furry companions because we tend to gauge their feelings through their facial expressions. However, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Science is now saying that facial expressions are an inaccurate way to understand animal emotions. So, if you think you know your pet, you are wrong. Here is everything you need to know. Why Facial Expressions Are Not An Accurate Measure Here are the many reasons why facial expressions of animals may not be an accurate measure of their emotions according to science: 1. Crying Animals When animals tear up, many of us think they are crying, but that is not the case. It is usually because their eyes are dry. Bryan Amaral, The Senior Curator at Smithsonian National Zoo, immediately calls a vet when an animal tears up to see if they have an infection in the eye. Many other scientists have also confirmed that humans are the only species that can express sad emotions through tears. Other animals use different signals to indicate they are hurt or sad. 2. Smiles Don’t Always Mean Happiness A recent study done by Scientific Reports found that dogs have a smile on their faces in favorable situations. For example, they smile when they are walking or playing with you. However, there is still suspicion that smiling does not always indicate happiness. That is because there is no data as of now which can explain a dog is smiling. So, we can’t be sure that just because our pet is smiling means they are happy. It is always good to look at other indicators such as body language and eye contact to understand what your pet is trying to tell you at that moment. 3. Horses Grunt When They Are Happy Humans grunt when they are disappointed or angry, but that is not the same for horses. They grunt when they are happy, and Mathilde Stomp, a researcher, proved this. She divided forty-eight horses into two groups, which were outside horses and stable horses. The outside group was given the freedom to roam around, and they grunted two times more than the restricted group in the stable. That is because horses grunt to indicate their joy, which is why you will see them grunting when they are playing or eating. So, it shows that not all animals express their emotions in the same way humans do. Final Words That was your complete guide on how animals express themselves, and it may not always be the same as we express ourselves. That is why you will never really know what your pet is going through and what they are feeling. You should always look at many factors to gauge how they are feeling.