When a dog gets closer to you or shows increased attention and affection when they sense that something is wrong with you, it is likely an expression of empathy and concern. Dogs, like many other animals, are highly attuned to human emotions and can pick up on subtle cues and changes in our behavior.
Scientifically, this behavior can be explained by a combination of factors:
Sensory Perception: Dogs have a keen sense of smell and hearing, which allows them to detect changes in our body chemistry and heart rate. When you're feeling distressed or upset, your body might release different pheromones or emit subtle changes in odor, which a dog can pick up on.
Body Language: Dogs are experts at reading body language. When you're feeling sad or anxious, you might exhibit specific postures, facial expressions, or movements that signal emotional distress to your dog. They have evolved to be highly sensitive to these non-verbal cues as part of their social intelligence.
Emotional Bond: Dogs form strong emotional bonds with their human companions. Over time, they become deeply attuned to your emotional states through their interactions with you and the patterns of your behavior.
Learned Responses: If your dog has observed in the past that offering comfort or closeness helped alleviate your distress, they might have learned to repeat this behavior as a way to provide support.
Dogs do not have the same complex understanding of emotions as humans do, but they have the capacity for emotional intelligence in their own way. When your dog comes closer to you during times of emotional distress, they may not comprehend the exact emotions you're experiencing, but they do recognize that something is amiss, and they respond with comfort in their own doggy way.
Research in the field of anthrozoology (the study of human-animal relationships) has shown that dogs can exhibit empathy toward humans and other dogs. Some studies have even suggested that dogs respond differently to people who are crying compared to people who are talking or humming.
In summary, when your dog gets closer to you during times of emotional distress, it's a sign of their emotional connection with you and their desire to provide comfort and support. This behavior is a beautiful example of the deep bond that can develop between humans and their canine companions.