Stop Everything, Because It Turns Out Dogs Can Cry Tears Of Joy

If you own a dog, you probably know they’re some of the best four-legged (or really, any-legged) companions anyone could ask for. And as if you couldn’t love your pup any more than you probably already do, scientists in Japan just discovered another data-backed reason why your furry friend makes your heart melt. Apparently, dogs can cry tears of joy. OK, that’s the most adorable news I’ve heard all week.

According to the August 2022 study from Azabu University in Japan, researchers found evidence to suggest that a dog’s eyes may tear up with happiness when reunited with their owners after an extended absence. “We found that dogs shed tears associated with positive emotions,” Takefumi Kikusui, a professor at the Laboratory of Human-Animal Interaction at the university, said in an Aug. 22 press release.

To conduct their research, scientists used the Schirmer Tear Test to measure the tear volume of 18 dogs, both before and after being reunited with their owners following a five to seven hour period of absence. Per Kikusui’s evaluation for CNN, the tear volume in dogs increased by about 10% only when rejoining their owner, not just any old familiar face — which suggests that dogs do, indeed have a special emotional connection with their humans.

That’s not all researchers discovered. “We also made the discovery of oxytocin as a possible mechanism underlying it,” he added. To make this particular observation, scientists applied a solution containing oxytocin directly to the dog’s eyes, which significantly increased the volume of tears during the experiment. Oxytocin? Wait, that’s the same hormone the human brain releases when experiencing feelings of love. Excuse me, I’m gonna go sob into my pet’s fur now.

It’s no secret dogs can experience profound emotions. In fact, a June 2018 study in the journal Learning and Behavior found that dogs react to human faces expressing six basic emotions with changes in their gaze and heart rate: anger, fear, happiness, sadness, surprise, and disgust. Furthermore, over the tens of thousands of years that dogs have been human companions, their facial muscles have also evolved to more effectively appeal to humans by triggering a “nurturing response.”

Kikusui’s study supports this: when shown photos of dogs with artificial teary eyes, humans responded more positively than when they were shown those without. So as it turns out, when your dog is giving you those big, sad eyes to beg for more treats, they’re using their evolutionary traits to their advantage. Of course — it’s the only con out there where when you get suckered into it, everyone wins!