A tired pooch getting some much needed rest.
Dogs hold a remarkable knack for tuning into human emotions. Witnessing their ability to sense our moods and see how they react is astonishing. Whether it's a nudge of their nose when we're feeling down or their tail wagging excitedly to mirror our joy, their empathy and understanding go beyond mere animal instinct.
This deep-seated connection, honed over thousands of years of companionship, attests to the beautiful symbiosis and understanding that can happen between different species. Even though we’ve always known how close we can get to dogs, a new study shows that connection goes even further than we knew.
A preliminary study found that our dogs listen to us when they sleep.
A team of researchers at Eötvös Loránd University in Hungary performed a small pilot study on 13 dogs, which found that dogs' brains light up when hearing both canine and human noises while asleep. "This finding is significant insofar as it is the first evidence of complex auditory processing during sleep in dogs," Eötvös Loránd University ethnologist Huba Eleőd and colleagues write in their paper.
Now that's one sleepy doggo.
The dogs were connected to apparatuses to record their event-related brain wave reactions while asleep. Then, they were introduced to various vocalizations from dogs and humans while in different states of consciousness: fully awake, semi-conscious, and deep sleep.
The sounds the researchers played were various non-threatening vocal expressions, including yelps, whines and laughter. The researchers were careful not to make any distressing noises that might wake the dog.
Despite being asleep, the researchers found the dogs demonstrated a remarkable ability to discern the source and emotional tone of the sounds — whether dog or human — and detect if the underlying emotion was positive or neutral.
A dog’s ability to understand and process vocalizations while sleeping is much like a human’s. Researchers have found that while humans are asleep, they can differentiate between familiar and unfamiliar voices talking in the background. When people hear a stranger's voice while sleeping, they are more likely to wake up than if it’s someone they know.
Researchers theorize that an unknown voice is more likely to threaten a person’s safety.
A super sleepy doggo takes a nap.
A dog’s ability to recognize other voices while asleep shows they are more like humans than we thought. Eleőd and colleagues believe this similarity between the two species supports the idea that dogs should be used in comparative neurobiology research, which could also teach us more about the human mins as well.
"Although use of a non-invasive ERP paradigm with dogs is quite labor-intensive, it is nevertheless the most feasible possibility to study vocal stimuli processing during sleep, as it does not require prior training and does not cause any distress or harm," the team writes.
This new research not only shows that humans and dogs are even more connected than we knew previously. But it’s also a warning to dog owners everywhere. Be careful not to utter the words “walk” or “treat” around a sleeping dog, or you just may wake them up.
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There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."