The reason we can’t resist puppy dog eyes explained

They’re said to be man’s best friend. Now we may know why, and it’s all down to those irresistible puppy dog eyes.

人们经常说，狗是人类的朋友。现在我们也许知道原因了，就在于我们对狗狗的眼神毫无抵抗力。

Scientists say when an owner looks its pet in the eye it can lead to an increase in a hormone which ignites feelings of love.

科学家们说，当主人双眼看着自己的宠物时，荷尔蒙会增加，从而唤起人类爱的感觉。

A study claims gazing causes oxytocin to spike.

一项研究显示凝视会造成催产素（荷尔蒙的一种）的飙升。

One of the hormone’s main jobs is to help a parent bond with their child, so it can be produced when a mother breastfeeds or looks at her baby.

荷尔蒙的一项重要作用在于帮助父母维系与子女之间的羁绊，所以当母亲给宝宝喂奶，或者凝视着宝宝时，体内就会产生荷尔蒙。

Oxytocin has also been observed in both dogs and people when they take part in activities like petting and playing.

当人类抚摸狗狗，或者与狗狗玩耍时，狗狗和人类体内都会产生催产素。

Experts think the bond between a dog and its owner probably developed after humans began domesticating dogs.

科学家认为，在人类驯化了狗狗之后，狗和人类的关系更近了一步。

The new research, which was carried out by scientists at Azabu University in Japan and published in the journal Science, involved two experiments.

日本麻布大学的科学家们在《科学杂志》上发布的新研究还包括两个实验。

Experiment one

实验一

Researchers had the pleasant task of collecting urine from a group of dogs and their owners before and after a 30-minute interaction.

人类和狗狗互动半小时的前后，研究人员分别收集了狗狗和其主人的尿液。

The samples showed that those who gazed at each most experienced the biggest surge of oxytocin in their urine.

样本显示，凝视着对方的一方尿液里催产素的增加更明显。

Experiment two

实验二

Researchers sprayed oxytocin into a group of dogs noses and found female dogs stared longer at their owners afterwards.

研究人员将催产素喷入一组狗狗的鼻子，发现雌性狗狗凝视着主人的时间比之前更长。

The gazing also increased the owners levels of oxytocin.

狗狗对主人的凝视，也会使主人体内的催产素水平上升。

Scientists who worked on the study say it highlights the benefits of gazing at your pet, instead of simply telling it what to do.

致力于这项研究的科学家们称，这强调了凝视宠物的好处，不要一味地只是告诉宠物要做什么。

They also investigated whether oxytocin levels would increase when hand-raised wolves interacted with a known human.

研究人员还研究了家养的狼与熟悉的人进行互动后，催产素是否会升高。

But the wolves only held a gaze with the humans for a few seconds.

但是狼与人类的凝视只有几秒钟。

There is an idiom related to “puppy dog eyes”. It means “acting like a spoiled child.” For example, “ Don’t give me the puppy dog eyes. They don’t work on me! ”

还有一个与“狗狗的眼神”相关的习语，意思是撒娇。例如，“不要撒娇，对我没用！”

完成阅读

来源:BBC英语新闻爱语吧作者:Viola