A new study says humans tend to overrate the intelligence of their dogs.
British psychologists have found dogs to be unremarkable in their cognitive capabilities compared to wolves, cats, dolphins, chimpanzees, pigeons, and several other species.
Corey Cohen, animal behaviorist and author of the PathofFriendship blog says the study reported in Scientific American correctly points out that other animals are as gifted with intelligence as our canine companions. But that doesn’t mean dogs aren’t special.
“They definitely score high in what I call the ‘connection quotient.’ They have high CQ’s rather than intelligence quotient. In other words, they’re really good at connecting with us, with humans.”
He says this can be measured by the level of oxytocin – or “love hormone” that’s produced in our bodies when we are with a loved one.
“Playing or interacting with your dog or your cat also stimulates oxytocin. But according to an experiment by a Dr. Paul Zak, after about ten minutes of interacting with dogs, there was a 57 percent increase in oxytocin stimulation in people, and after about ten minutes playing with cats, unfortunately it was only about 12 percent.”
Corey Cohen was a guest on McIntyre in the Morning.
By Sandy Wells
KABC News
