RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:
Good morning, I'm Renee Montagne.
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MONTAGNE: Dogs - they are highly attuned to how we humans feel. Now a study from Brigham Young University looked at how dogs process the emotional cues they get from humans. When directing a dog to fetch a treat in the grass, researchers found that dogs respond slower when volunteers seemed upset or angry, making frowny faces, harsh tones, creased eyebrows.
But then again, who doesn't respond badly to anger?
(SOUNDBITE OF DOG WHIMPERING)
MONTAGNE: It's MORNING EDITION. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.