Take a Break and…Pet a Goat?!
written by Kate H.
Take a break and go pet…a goat? According to a new study by the Royal Society Open Science, goats want to see you happy. When tested, they repeatedly walked toward happy human faces rather than sad ones.
In their research, scientists put pictures of happy, sad, and angry human faces around a goat pen. Then 20 goats were placed in the pen and observed. Overall, the goats spent much more time (looking at, sniffing, licking, etc.) the happy human faces. The goats seemed to have had a heightened sensitivity to human emotions. The Royal Society scientists attribute this sensitivity to the goats being domesticated animals.
While dogs tend to receive all of the praise, many animals are capable of providing benefits to humans. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, interaction with animals can decrease loneliness, cholesterol and triglyceride levels, and blood pressure. Not only do goats want you to be happy, but they can make you happy too!