The squinting movements in cats bear some parallels to the genuine smile of humans (the Duchenne smile), so a stronger bond could be established between cats and humans If humans squinted. What is known as "slow blinking."
That's at least what it suggests a new study published in Nature Scientific Reports by Tasmin Humphrey and Karen McComb, animal behavior scientists at the University of Sussex.
Slow flashing
To arrive at this curious explanation, two experiments were carried out.
He first experiment included a total of 21 cats from 14 different homes. Fourteen different owners participated in it. Ten of the cats were males and 11 of the cats were females, with an estimated age of between 0.45 and 16 years. The experiments were carried out in each cat's home.
This first experiment revealed that cats are more likely to blink slowly at their owners after their owners have blinked slowly at them, compared to when they do not interact at all.
The cat's slow blink sequence, starting from a neutral face moving to mid-blink, then to eye closure and then squinting expression.
He second experiment included a total of 24 additional cats. Twelve cats were male and 12 cats were female, with an estimated age between 1 and 17 years. The cats included in the final analyzes were from eight different homes.
In this experiment, the researcher, who was unfamiliar with the cat, blinked slowly at the cat or adopted a neutral face without direct eye contact. It was thus proven that cats were more likely to move closer to the experimenter's outstretched hand after blinking slowly at the cat, compared to when they had adopted a neutral tone of expression.
According to Explain McComb:
This study is the first to experimentally investigate the role of slow blinking in cat-human communication. And it's something you can try yourself with your own cat at home or with cats you meet on the street. It is a great way to improve the bond you have with cats. Try squinting at them like you would with a relaxed smile, followed by closing your eyes for a couple of seconds. You will see that they respond in the same way and you can start a kind of conversation.
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The news
If you squint, your cat will like you better: no joke
was originally published in
Xataka Science
by
Sergio Parra
.