The case for speaking politely to animals

How we speak affects animals. According to new research at the University of Copenhagen, horses, pigs and wild horses can distinguish between positive and negative sounds, as well as from human speech. The study provides insight into the history of emotional development and opens up interesting perspectives with regard to animal welfare.

The idea of horse whisperers, those with a talent for communicating with horses, may bring a laugh to many. There may be something about their whispering skills according to new research. In an international collaboration, along with researchers Anne-Laure Maigrot and Edna Hillmann, behavioral biologist Elodie Briefer of the University of Copenhagen investigated whether a range of animals can distinguish between positive and negative sounds.

The results showed that domesticated pigs and horses, as well as Asian wild horses, can tell the difference when the sounds come from their own species and near relatives. The pigs were studied along with the wild pigs. The pigs reacted to the sounds of their horses in the same way. It was the same when it came to sounds of their own kind.

The animals were able to distinguish between positive and negative human voices. All but wild boars reacted differently to human speech that was either positive or negative.

Human gibberish.

The researchers played sounds from animals and humans.

Positive and negative human speech was performed by a professional voice actor in a kind of gibberish without any meaningful phrases to avoid having the domesticated animals react to specific words.

The behavioral reactions of the animals were recorded in a number of categories, from their ear position to their lack of movement.

The researchers concluded that how we speak matters to animals.

Our results show that the animals are affected by the emotions we charge our voices with when we are around them. When they are met with a voice that is negatively charged, they react more quickly than when the voice is positively charged. They seem to mirror the emotion that they are exposed to in certain situations.

Do animals have an emotional life?

The aim of the study was to investigate the possibility of emotional spillover in animals. One expressed emotion is assumed by another. This type of reaction is seen as the first step in the empathy category in behavioral biology.

Should future research projects show that these animals mirror emotions, it will be very interesting in relation to the history of the development of emotions and the extent to which animals have an emotional life and level of consciousness.

The study was unable to detect clear observations of emotional contagion, but it did find an interesting order in which the sounds were delivered. The wild boars were the first to react when the negative sound was played. Human speech was included.

The way we talk to animals may have an impact on their well-being.

She says that it means that our voices have a direct impact on the emotional state of animals.

This knowledge can be used to improve the lives of animals if those who work with them are familiar with it.

When the animals reacted strongly to hearing negatively charged speech first, the same is true in the reverse. If animals are initially spoken to in a more positive, friendly voice, they should react less. They may become calmer and more relaxed.

The switchover is the next step for the researcher. She and her colleagues are looking into how we can understand animal sounds.

More information: Anne-Laure Maigrot et al, Cross-species discrimination of vocal expression of emotional valence by Equidae and Suidae, BMC Biology (2022). DOI: 10.1186/s12915-022-01311-5 Journal information: BMC Biology Citation: The case for speaking politely to animals (2022, May 24) retrieved 24 May 2022 from https://phys.org/news/2022-05-case-politely-animals.html This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.