Researchers claim to have discovered how humans can communicate with cats. The trick is very simple and it has to do with a certain way of smiling. The conclusions were drawn at the end of studies that included dozens of cats.
Scientists announce they have discovered a simple trick that allows owners to communicate with their cats. Domestic cats have a reputation for being aloof and moody, and the relationship with their owners is hampered by a lack of communication. Noi.md with reference to .
Now, researchers claim that the communication problem has been solved. To top it off, the solution is simpler than thought. All a human has to do is smile cat-style.
More precisely, not to smile in the human style, showing his teeth, but narrowing his eyes and blinking slowly. This gesture makes cats more likely to approach and interact with humans, according to a study cited by Science Alert, according to Mediafax.
“For someone who has studied animal behavior and is a cat owner, it’s great to be able to demonstrate that cats and people can communicate in this way. It’s something that many cat owners already suspected, so it’s exciting to have found evidence,” said psychologist Karen McComb of the University of Sussex.
The facial expression of “partially closed eyes” and slow blinking occurs when the cat is relaxed and content. The researchers tried to find out what the effect would be if people did the same. As a result, a team of psychologists conducted two experiments.
The first experiment involved 21 cats from 14 different households. The owners were instructed to stand about one meter away and blink slowly when the cats looked at them. The results showed that cats tend to blink slowly after their owners do the same.
The second experiment included 24 cats from eight different households. This time, it wasn’t the owners who blinked, but the researchers, who had no previous contact with the cat. The researchers performed the same procedure as in the first experiment, adding a hand reaching towards the cat. They found that the cats were prone to blink, but were even more willing to approach the human’s hand after the person blinked.
However, it is difficult to know why cats blink slowly especially around people. Cats may have developed this expression precisely because humans react positively to it. In any case, it has a high chance of helping to create a relationship, the researchers concluded.
