Are you one of those people that finds it easy to talk to your pet? Do you regularly find yourself talking to your animals? A recent scientific study has proven that people who talk to their Pets are more intelligent than those who don’t.
The Human brain is so complex. A person’s brain determines how they experience the world around them. The brain weighs about 3 pounds and contains around 100 billion neurons; cells which carry information. Even after years of research, we are still not entirely certain about the many functions are minds are capable of. We are now realizing that by trying to find human characteristics in inanimate objects such as pets and toys, we are actually displaying the brain’s creative side.
A study conducted by the world-renowned Harvard University, found that there is a link between higher levels of intelligence and talking to your pets. The habit of talking to animals, plants, or any inanimate objects was covered by the study, which found that when people do so, it actually represents anthropomorphism; a uniquely human ability that only people with optimal brain function possess.
Anthropomorphizing can be explained as giving human traits or emotions to things that are not human. Nicholas Epley, a professor of behavioral science at the University of Chicago, says of this behavior: “Historically, anthropomorphizing has been treated as a sign of childishness or stupidity, but it’s actually a natural byproduct of the tendency that makes humans uniquely smart on this planet”. It’s a skill that no other creature on the planet has, except the few smart people that do it!
It’s common for kids to anthropomorphize their toys, but when adults do it to their pets, it can sometimes be misunderstood and looked at as strange. However, anthropologist experts now understand that seeing human traits in animals, is actually a sign of high-functioning intelligence.
To prove their theory, the Harvard study showed pictures of baby animals and adult animals to a group of people and asked them to choose either the baby or adult animal as their favorite. Most people that took part in the study chose the baby animals. The study then asked the subjects to name the animals, with some of the people going on to give the animals human names, referring to them in gender nouns. When asked to describe how they would interact with the creatures, the subjects identified as most in tune with their creative intelligence, discussed how they would treat the animal as if they were their own child.
Other ways to anthropomorphize your pets is to speak to them using human traits, such as calling them “sweetie” or “good boy”, it’s simply your brain using its unique human ability that only the truly intelligent have learned to utilize.
Further studies have also shown that by regularly talking to your pets, animals eventually learn to differentiate between the sounds you make and begin to understand your physical gestures too. Animals can also understand the emotion you charge into your words too. So, the next time you talk to your pet and somebody remarks that you may have flown the cuckoo nest, remember to tell them that it’s actually a sign of your superior intelligence!
Do you talk to your pets? Do you know when your animals understand you? If you like this story or have had a similar experience, then please SHARE this post!
