Hi guys, Crystal here for DNews

嗨大家，我是DNews的Crystal

I live in LA and let me tell you, people there really love their dogs.

我現在住在洛杉磯，我可以跟你說，洛杉磯的人真的很愛狗狗

There are doggy gyms where your dog can meet with his trainer,

那兒有狗狗運動中心，還有狗狗訓練師

doggy spas where he can get a massage, restaurants that offer “locally sourced organic” dog food, and places where you and your dog can get a side-by-side mani-pedi.

也可在狗狗spa會館享受按摩，在餐廳享受當地有機狗飼料，還可以和狗狗一起做指甲彩繪

I know many dog owners would say that their dog is their child.

我知道很多狗主人說狗狗就像他們的小孩

Well, researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital say that actually might not be as crazy as it sounds …

麻省總醫院研究員表示，這說法其實沒那麼瘋狂

When examining functional MRI data of women who were shown pictures of their dogs, pictures of their children, or neutral pictures of unrelated dogs or children,

他們給女生看他們狗狗的照片、小孩的照片，還有不認識的狗狗或小孩照片，並檢視他們的功能性磁共振成像的資料

researchers noticed that neural activation was similar if the subject was looking at either her own dog, or her own child.

發現測試者看自己狗狗或小孩照片，他們觸發的神經活動區域很相似

This implies a similar level of attachment to both the dog and the child, and could explain why we really do treat dogs like part of our families … we think they are!

這解釋了我們對狗狗和小孩有相似的依賴感，以及為何我們對待狗狗就像對待自己的家人一般.....因為它就是我們的家人阿

In fact, in this study there were no brain regions active when subjects viewed photos of their own dog that were not also activated by pictures of their own child.

事實上，研究顯示，看自己狗狗照片沒激活的腦區，看小孩照片時同樣也不會有反應

But before you go out and start a savings account for your dog’s college education,

在你開始存你狗狗的大學學費前

there was a very important difference between a mother’s response to her child, and response to her dog.

你要知道媽媽對小孩和狗狗的反應其實大不同

Areas of the midbrain associated with the dopamine reward circuit were only activated when a mother was looking at pictures of her own child.

只有當媽媽看自己小孩照片時，中腦的多巴胺報償迴路才會被激發

These crucial brain areas, the substantia nigra and ventral tegmental area, are swimming in receptors for all the feel good molecules associated with the feeling of being “in love”: dopamine, oxytocin, and vasopressin.

這些重要的腦區，包含黑質和腹側被蓋區，遊走在那些可以感受"戀愛"的分子中，例如多巴胺、催產素，還有垂體後葉荷爾蒙

Activation of this midbrain region is usually associated with human pair-bonding, basically love and romantic relationships, and dogs, just can’t turn it on.

要活化這些腦區，通常跟人類的配偶關係有關，像是愛情或情侶關係，而狗狗則無法

So you love your dog, but you’re not “in love” with them. and as a person not unfamiliar with unrequited love, I thought I'd ask: How does your DOG feel about all this? Turns out, our dogs don’t necessarily reciprocate our feelings.

所以其實你很愛你的狗，但不是和它談戀愛。我認為愛是不求回報的，但我想問：那狗狗自己的想法又如何？事實上，狗狗不一定能回應我們的情感

In an article published in Applied Animal Behavior Science, and titled “I like my dog, does my dog like me?”

有一篇應運動物行為科學期刊文章，標題是：我喜歡我的狗狗，但我的狗狗愛嗎？

scientists used the Monash Dog Owner Relationship Scale (yep that's a thing)

科學家利用寵物情感依附量表測試(是的，就是有這回事)

to determine that owners who interact more frequently with their dog, have dogs showing more affectionate, proximity-seeking behavior and this might be due to more positive reinforcement of close interaction by the owner.

看看如果主人和狗狗越常互動，狗狗會不會和主人更親密、更黏主人，而這些跟主人正面、親近的互動很有關係

Not any emotional attachment on the part of the dog.

但狗狗不會有這樣情感上的依賴

“There is no support from this study for the view that the strength of the relationship an owner feels to his/her dog is mirrored in the strength of the bond of the dog to its owner”.

但主人感受到和狗狗的關係反映在狗狗和主人連結，這個觀點並無法從這個研究中得知

In other words, you can’t force your dog to love you back.

也就是說，你不能逼迫你的狗狗也這麼愛你

But a day at a doggy spa probably wouldn't hurt.

但在狗狗spa待上一天應該也無傷大雅

What do you think? Does your dog really love you?

你覺得呢？你的狗狗愛你嗎？

Subscribe to DNews and let us know in the comments down below! You can also come find me on twitter at Poly Crystal H D

歡迎訂閱DNews，並在下面留言讓我們知道。你也可以在推特上的Poly Crystal H D找到我喔！