Effect of the “eye smile” confirmed

Behavioral research focuses on kitties: this cat “smiles” by narrowing its eyes. (Image: Prof Karen McComb University of Sussex)

Cats supposedly appreciate it when humans “smile” at them in their own way: They say that if you narrow your eyes, you give the house tigers a friendly gesture. But what effect does this “cat smile” actually have? Behavioral researchers have now been able to confirm experimentally for the first time that cats reciprocate human blinking gestures and react to friendly communication with increased trust in strangers.

It is probably the most astonishing of all animal-human relationships: the cat has almost stolen a permanent place in human society. Because apart from the function as rodent hunter, it was above all the charm of these graceful animals that humans succumbed thousands of years ago. Today, millions of house tigers populate households around the world, making cats the most popular of all pets, ahead of the dog. Despite this great importance, the cat-human relationship has been relatively little researched in contrast to the dog. The researchers working with Karen McComb from the University of Sussex in Brighton have been doing pioneering work for some time. In their current study they have now dealt with an aspect that is already known among cat connoisseurs: allegedly, friendly contact with cats can be established by imitating their facial expressions.

When people like cats “smile”

As is well known from other animal species, cats convey a friendly message through the expression of their eyes: They make the openings narrow by a kind of slow blinking or close them completely for a short time. It is believed that this behavior corresponds to a person’s smile. According to one explanation, this expression forms a demonstrative contrast to the staring with wide-open eyes, which many animals perceive as aggressive. In this context, cat lovers report from personal experience: If you narrow your eyes at the sight of a cat instead of grinning broadly, the animals will react positively. To what extent this can be confirmed, McComb and her colleagues have now scientifically investigated for the first time.

The first experiment took place in 14 different households and involved a total of 21 cats and their human caregivers. The owners were asked to contact their animals by either looking at them normally or by showing the slow blinking. The researchers recorded the animals’ reactions by means of video recordings, which they then evaluated. The second experiment involved a total of 24 additional cats from eight different households. In this case, the researcher, who didn’t know the cat, either blinked slowly at the animal or showed a neutral expression. Video recordings were then used to document whether the animals approached the researcher when he encouraged them to do so by stretching out the flat of his hand.

Confirmed: element of animal-human communication

The evaluations of the first experiment initially confirmed fundamentally that the message of human behavior apparently reached the cats: The slow blinking of the caregivers led to their animals responding frequently to their behavior. In a figurative sense, this means that cats smile back when smiled at by their owners. On the second attempt, too, the animals often returned the friendly gesture of the unknown person. The animals were also more inclined to approach the experimenter than if he had previously assumed a neutral expression. “Overall, our results show that blinking slowly is actually a form of positive emotional communication between cats and humans,” summarize the behavioral researchers.

“Our study thus scientifically confirms the personal experiences of many cat connoisseurs for the first time. And we now encourage everyone to try out this form of communication with their own cat at home or with animals they meet. It’s a wonderful way to increase or make contact with a cat, ”says McComb. “Just try to slowly narrow your eyes as you look at the cat, then close them for a few seconds. You will find that the animal reacts in the same way and you can start a kind of conversation, ”says the behaviorist.

Source: University of Sussex, specialist article: Scientific Reports, doi: 10.1038 / s41598-020-73426-0

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