Inter- and Intra-Species Communication of Emotion: Chemosignals as the Neglected Medium

Human body odors contain chemosignals that make species-specific communication possible. Such communication is without communicative intent and is generally below the threshold of consciousness. Human recipients of these chemosignals produced during emotional conditions display a simulacrum of the e...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Animals (Basel) 2019-10, Vol.9 (11), p.887
Main Authors: Semin, Gün R, Scandurra, Anna, Baragli, Paolo, Lanatà, Antonio, D'Aniello, Biagio
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal cognition
Animal experimentation
Autonomic nervous system
Behavior
Body odor
Body odors
Chemical properties
Chemoreception
chemosignals
Communication
Displays (Marketing)
dog
Dogs
Domestication
Electromyography
Emotional behavior
Emotional factors
Emotions
Evolution
Fear
Happiness
horse
Horses
human
Human body
Human-animal relationships
Odors
Physiological aspects
Review
Senses
Zoological research
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Summary:Human body odors contain chemosignals that make species-specific communication possible. Such communication is without communicative intent and is generally below the threshold of consciousness. Human recipients of these chemosignals produced during emotional conditions display a simulacrum of the emotional state under which the chemosignal was produced. The investigation of an inter-species transfer of emotions via chemosignals was initiated by considerations of the historically anchored interdependence between humans and domesticated species, such as dogs and horses. Indeed, experiments with dogs have demonstrated that human body odors produced under emotional conditions of happiness and fear led dogs to manifest corresponding emotions to those experienced by humans. Preliminary data from horses also show that human body odors collected under fear and happiness conditions activate the autonomic nervous system of horses differentially. These studies indicate the possibility of a road to open our understanding of inter-species emotional communication via chemosignals.
ISSN:2076-2615
2076-2615
DOI:10.3390/ani9110887