Disney fans probably remember the scene of the classic “101 Dalmatas” (1961), where Dalmata Pongo is sitting near a window, watching other dogs and their owners passing outside. Each dog that passes looks strangely with the tutor.
Dogs that resemble their human owners were also observed in research. In one study, published in 2015, women with long hair tended to prefer dogs with equally long ears, and women with short hair preferred “dogs with standing ears”.
Experts say this psychological phenomenon is the result of us, humans, people or even objects that seem to us. After all, we are exposed daily to our own faces in the mirror. If we choose a dog that looks like what we see in ourselves, it can be comforting. Dog characteristics may seem familiar.
“Let’s say you are in a shelter and look at many different potential options. You are not necessarily spending a long time trying to find out which characteristics of each dog you want. One of the things that drives the choice is that the animal has some familiarity with you, ”said Art Markman, a cognitive scientist and senior vice-rector of academic affairs at the University of Texas in Austin, United States.
“There are many ways something can start to look familiar to you, one of them may have had a dog like that as a child,” said Markman. “But another thing that can make something look familiar is that it resembles something you have found before – how, say, yourself.”
It can have a set of hair like yours or the same curious look on the face, said Markman.
“Whatever it is, it’s something you recognize,” he added. “This flash of recognition gives you this feeling that this is something you resonate, which can then increase your likelihood of choosing something without ever realizing that you have chosen you in part because of your resemblance to you.”
In another study, published in 2004, it was observed that 45 dogs and their owners, photographed separately, could be compared with each other, based only on the images.
“Our research showed that people could combine dog and owners photos at a higher rate than chance. However, this only worked when the dog was pure breed. We think this is likely because pure dogs are predictable in both their appearance and temperament. This allows people to choose a dog that best fit into appearance, personality and level of activity, ”said Michael Roy, study author and teacher of psychology at Elizabethtown College, Pennsylvania, to CNN.
“The similarity between the dog and the owner can be at a physical level – they look like similar – or at a general level – that looks like the type of person who would have this type of dog,” he wrote. “For example, you can combine someone who looks outgoing and outdoors with a labrador instead of a chihuahua.”
The impact of “mere exposure”
Some experts say this is an example of the “effect of mere exposure,” a psychological phenomenon in which people prefer things to which they have been exposed – and this can go beyond pet dogs. Another example includes people who may be more likely to enjoy a song if they’ve heard similar music before.
“Think about it: when you go to a rock show, at some point in the show, the band plays the song that is playing on the radio recently, and the crowd goes crazy,” said Markman. “The crowd goes crazy not because this is objectively the band’s best song, but because it’s the band’s best known song.”
Another study, published in 2014, found that observers were able to combine car owners with the front views of their vehicles because they looked like. Even with consumer products, people tend to feel more attracted to something when they are more exposed to it.
“The more we see or hear something, the more we tend to like it. This would not necessarily explain why you may like a specific dog, but you can explain trends in dog possession. If most people around you have Labradors, your taste for them may increase due to seeing them frequently, thus increasing their chances of having one too, ”Roy said.
The phenomenon seems to emerge only by selecting a dog as a personal partner, not choosing one for an occupation, such as working in a police department or a farm, according to researchers. This may be because, for decisions related to occupation, more time and research are invested in the selection process.
“There seems to be these two systems underlying the way we think. One of these systems is a faster and half intuitive judgment system, and the other is a slower and more deliberative system, ”said Markman.
“These effects, such as the effect of mere exposure, tend to influence decisions you make based on this faster and faster system,” said the professional. “When you allow yourself to be slower, be more deliberative, really write down the strengths and weaknesses of the decision you are making, and as you try to trust other expert opinions, you will have less influence on factors such as the effect of mere exposure.”
In some cases, this intuitive attraction to things that seem familiar or resembles ourselves – characterized as “self -search” – can occur by selecting not only a pet but also a human companion, said Klause Jaffe, a scientist at Simón Bolívar University in Venezuela.
He researched how humans choose their pet dogs based on a phenomenon known as selective mating, which was experimentally studied between various species and even plants. It seems that the principles that govern this phenomenon are the same, whether applied to human or between animals and humans; Similarity or familiarity play a fundamental role.
“For sexual organisms to be successful, they have to choose a partner who somehow resembles them,” Jaffe said. “If a donkey tries to mate with a cow, nothing happens.
“Likewise, we attract partners who reflect some of our characteristics, and this happens outside the race, skin color and sexual orientation of someone,” he added. The similarities between partners can go beyond appearance, have family mannerisms, experiences, education, similar tastes in fashion or even daily habits.
According to the researchers, no matter the complexity or type of relationship, the theory still seems to apply.
“The relationship we find between dogs and owners is like other relationships. The best indicator for lasting friendships and romantic relationships is the similarity, ”said Roy. “We surrounded ourselves with people who are like us in some way.”
So when confronted with the decision to choose a pet, people should not worry or stress with the role that the effect of mere exposure or other psychological phenomena can play, Markman said.
“If your decision is motivated in part because the pet looks familiar, and this is because it looks a bit like you, that’s not a bad thing,” he explained. “I don’t think people should be ashamed that this has influenced their decision in some way. I think if it will make you love the pet more. ”
