Talking to Pets Signs You're Smart, Myth or Fact?


 Having a pet is really fun. For some people, pets are believed to be able to ward off feelings of loneliness. Not only playing, asking pets to talk is something that many people do.

Apart from getting rid of boredom, there is a lot of information circulating that talking to a pet can show a person's intelligence. So, is this true? Reporting from Psychology Today, here's the answer!


Hal Herzog, Ph.D., author of Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat: Why It's So Hard To Think Straight About Animals has his opinion about people who talk to pets more intelligently than those who don't.



Reporting from Psychology Today, Hal Herzog, Ph.D., was quite curious and looked for scientific evidence behind the idea. According to him, almost everyone talks to their pets. There are about 97% of pet owners talking to their pets. The findings were presented by Alan Beck, a pioneer in the field of anthropology.


According to Hal Herzog, Ph.D., what Alan Beck said is true. Even deaf people can talk to their pets through sign language. He also said that people talking to their pets is a natural thing and has nothing to do with intelligence.



Hal Herzog, Ph.D., also contacted Gary Sherman and Jonathan Haidt to validate reporting around their research related to intelligence and talking to pets.


Research conducted by Sherman and Haidt showed that watching cute pictures of kittens and puppies made people more careful in dexterity games. However, this study had nothing to do with the intelligence of humans talking to their pets.



Hal Herzog, Ph.D., also gathered other evidence from research conducted by psychologists Nicholas Epley and Adam Waytz. The research, published in the journal Social Cognition, reveals that people who feel isolated tend to attribute traits of social connection such as caring, thoughtful, and sympathetic to pets.


However, the study did not link differences in intelligence with the tendency to talk to pets. So, according to Epley and Waytz, projecting mental states onto pets is a universal human trait, not a sign of above-average intelligence.


From scientific data discovered by Hal Herzog, Ph.D., he says that talking to pets has nothing to do with signs of intelligent people. However, this shows us as human beings.

Previous Post Next Post

Contact Form