To the naked eye, a dog’s tail wags when he’s happy. But careful study reveals something more. Recently, a team of researchers used cameras to study tail wagging. And in doing so, they made a remarkable discovery. When dogs experience positive emotions, they wag their tails a little more to their right. When they experience negative emotions, they do the opposite.
Sometimes, a dog’s tail wags when he’s not happy. But we’d never know it – even if we watched him very closely. Even if we loved him very much. It reminds me that there’s so much more to this world than we can experience with our eyes alone, that our world is so rich with things to discover … but our eyes are only one of many tools we can use to study it. It also reminds me that sometimes other tools work much better. Because oftentimes, our discoveries are largely dependent on the tools we use to make them. As in the case of dogs. As in the case of many other things …
What a great find! I consider myself pretty good when it comes to animal behavior, but this research shows there are much deeper levels one can go in understanding. And it's a reminder to me that I should always be ready to challenge my assumptions...and maybe be more proactive about challenging them. Thanks for sharing!
The Naked Eye
To the naked eye, a dog’s tail wags when he’s happy. But careful study reveals something more. Recently, a team of researchers used cameras to study tail wagging. And in doing so, they made a remarkable discovery. When dogs experience positive emotions, they wag their tails a little more to their right. When they experience negative emotions, they do the opposite.
Sometimes, a dog’s tail wags when he’s not happy. But we’d never know it – even if we watched him very closely. Even if we loved him very much. It reminds me that there’s so much more to this world than we can experience with our eyes alone, that our world is so rich with things to discover … but our eyes are only one of many tools we can use to study it. It also reminds me that sometimes other tools work much better. Because oftentimes, our discoveries are largely dependent on the tools we use to make them. As in the case of dogs. As in the case of many other things …