If you talk to your pets like they’re human, you’re not alone.
Every day when I get home, I immediately say hi to my puppy, ask her where her toys are, and tell her I missed her.
On a rational level, I know that she doesn’t understand all the words I’m saying to her, but that doesn’t stop me from telling her to “have a good day” every morning before I leave the house.
When other people are around, I feel a little bit silly talking to my dog like she knows what I’m saying, but I still do it.
Many people feel that there’s a stigma attached to talking to their pets. They think that other people might assume they’re stupid for speaking intelligently to their animals.
Really, though, it’s something almost all of us do! Talking to animals (or objects) like they’re human is called anthropomorphizing, and it’s not silly. It actually points to a higher social intelligence.
As a kid, you may have talked to your stuffed animals and dolls like they were human. Talking to our pets is no different.
And no, that doesn’t mean we are immature; it means that we have active minds.
According to Nicholas Epsey, a behavioral science professor at the University of Chicago, anthropomorphizing pets is a sign of intelligence.
(Anthropomorphize is a fancy word that means, “to attribute human form or personality to things not human.”)
Epley explains that naming animals and assigning them certain personality traits (like thinking your cat is sassy or your dog is goofy) is a sign of our willingness to recognize minds in nonhumans.
Epley says:
Recognizing the mind of another human being involves the same psychological processes as recognizing a mind in other animals, a god, or even a gadget.
It is a reflection of our brain’s greatest ability rather than a sign of our stupidity.
In addition, anthropomorphizing objects or animals means that we like them.
According to Quartz, psychologists think that we are more likely to engage with the mind of people, pets, or object we are close to.
What all this science means is that talking to your pets like they’re human isn’t a sign that you’re immature or stupid — it’s a sign of complex social intelligence.
Do you have full-on conversations with your pets?
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