Members in the Media
From: The Atlantic

Why Do Humans Talk to Animals If They Can’t Understand?

The Atlantic:

“Do you think it’s weird that I tell Nermal I love her multiple times a day?”

My sister’s question was muffled, her face stuffed in the fur of her six-month-old kitten (named for the cat from Garfield). We were sitting in the living room of her apartment and, as always, Nermal was vying for our attention—pawing at our hair, walking along the couch behind us, spreading across our laps and looking up at us with her big, bright eyes. She’s almost aggressively cute, and inspires the kind of love that demands to be vocalized. I’d find it weirder if my sister weren’t doing so.

But why do we do it? I got the anthrozoologist and professor of psychology at Western Carolina University Hal Herzog on the phone to talk it out.

Read the whole story: The Atlantic

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Comments

The article states that “snakes are deaf.” This is not true. It doesn’t do well for the perception of psychology as a science to go around reporting things that are not factually true.

I think they listen! But they also don’t talk back


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