译言网 | 悲观的狗看到的碗是半空的

Pessimistic Dogs See the Bowl Half Empty悲观狗眼碗半空
Does your dog seem anxious and misbehave when left alone? It may be due to an underlying pessimistic state of mind.你家的狗在独处时是否表现出焦虑和不乖的行为？如果是那样，那可能是源于它心理上存在的悲观情绪状态。
By Jennifer Viegas 詹妮弗·维埃加斯
THE GIST 摘要
Dogs may be optimists or pessimists, new research suggests. 新研究显示：狗狗也有乐观的、也有悲观的。
Pessimistic dogs appear to be more prone to engage in unwanted behaviors, such as barking and destruction. 悲观的狗更易做出不可爱的行为，如吠叫和破坏。
Both behavioral and drug therapies are available to help affected dogs. 行为疗法和药物疗法皆有助于改善狗的这一症状

Dogs can be pessimistic animals, just like people, research shows. Click to enlarge this image.
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研究表明，狗也可以是悲观的动物，像人一样。
盖帝图片社
Optimists and pessimists don't only inhabit the human world, dogs may also see the glass -- or, in this case, bowl -- as half full or half empty, determined new research.乐观与悲观不仅存在于人的世界，狗可能也会把一个玻璃杯——或（在此案例中是）碗——视作半满或半空。这是新研究得出的论断。
The findings suggest that dogs, and probably other animals too, have underlying states of mind, which can affect their judgments and behavior. Pessimistic dogs are more likely to engage in unwanted activities, such as barking, destruction, and toileting when and where they shouldn't. 这一发现表明：狗，或许还有其它动物，有潜在的精神状态。这种状态会影响它们的判断和行为。悲观的狗更容易有不受欢迎的行为，如吠叫、破坏，在不合适的时间地点大小便。
"In humans, at least, research shows that 'optimistic' or 'pessimistic' decisions are useful indicators of an individual's emotional state," project leader Michael Mendl told Discovery News. "Happy people tend to be more optimistic. This may also be the case in animals, including dogs."“至少，在人类当中，研究表明‘乐观’或‘悲观’的决定是衡量一个人情绪状态的有用的指标。”项目领导麦克尔·孟德尔告诉发现新闻（Discovery News）。“幸福的人偏于乐观。动物，包括狗儿们，也许同样如此。”
Mendl, who is head of the Animal Welfare and Behavior research group at Bristol University's School of Clinical Veterinary Science, and his team came to this conclusion after putting 24 male and female dogs, representing different ages, through a few tests. 孟德尔是布里斯托尔大学临床兽医科学学校动物福利和行为研究团队的领导。他和他的团队通过对24只不同年龄、雌雄各异的狗进行一些测试，得出这一结论。
For the first test, each dog was taken to a room where a researcher interacted with it for 20 minutes. The next day, the researcher did the same thing, but left after just five minutes of interaction. The scientists documented how the dog, when left alone, acted. Some dogs, for example, happily awaited the person's return, while others barked and became anxious.在第一个测试中，每只狗都被带到一个房间。在那里，研究者与它互动20分钟。第二天，研究者又做同样的事情，但这回只互动了5分钟就走开了。科学家记录狗被单独留在那儿时的表现。例如有些狗高高兴兴地等着那人回来，而另一些狗则会吠叫并开始焦虑。
Next, the researchers trained the dogs to understand that a bowl on one side of a room was full of yummy food, while a bowl on the other side was empty. The researchers then placed bowls at ambiguous places and observed how quickly the dogs would go to the bowls.接下来，研究者通过训练让狗明白放在房间一头的碗装满了美食，而房间另一头的碗则是空的。然后，研究者把一些碗放在模棱两可的位置，观察狗儿们向那些碗走去时有多干脆。
"Dogs that ran fast to these ambiguous locations, as if expecting the positive food reward, were classed as making relatively optimistic decisions," explained Mendl. "Interestingly, these dogs tended to be the ones who also showed least anxiety-like behavior when left alone for a short time."“那些快速跑向这些两可位置的狗，好像是预期会得到食物回报。它们被归类为做出了相对乐观的决定的狗。”孟德尔解释说。“有趣的是，这些狗多数就是在短暂独处时表现出的类焦虑行为最少的那些狗。”
The findings are published in the latest issue of Current Biology.这一发现发表于当代生物学最新的一期。
Prior work by this team and others suggests that sheep, monkeys, pigs and a bird (the starling) also appear to either be optimists or pessimists. Since genetics may be involved, it's possible that, for dogs, certain breeds are more prone to judging events more pessimistically than others, but more research is needed to identify those breeds. 这一团队以及其他团队先前的研究工作显示，羊、猴子、猪和鸟（八哥）也都有乐观或悲观之别。由于可能存在基因方面的原因，所以对狗来说，在对一个事件做出判断时，有可能某些品种的狗比其他种类的更悲观。但还需要更多的研究才能确认具体的品种。
According to Samantha Gaines, deputy head of the Companion Animals Department from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, "Many dogs are relinquished each year because they show separation-related behavior."根据萨曼塔·根兹——防止虐待动物皇家协会伴侣动物部副总——的说法：“每年都有许多狗狗因不适应独处，而不得不被弃养。”
She added, "Some owners think that dogs showing anxious behavior in response to separation are fine, and do not seek treatment for their pets. 她补充道：“一些狗主人认为，狗在与主人分开时表现出焦虑很正常，所以并不去治疗他们的宠物。”
This research suggests that at least some of these dogs may have underlying negative emotional states.这一研究显示：至少有些狗存在着潜藏的消极情绪状态。
Mendl points out that many dog owners probably don't even realize that their pet may be suffering from the blues. 孟德尔指出，许多狗主人也许甚至没有意识到他们的宠物也有可能会情绪低落。
This condition could be similar to human depression. Probable causes range from genetic predisposition to life experiences and other factors. Even if owners do recognize such a problem in their dogs, Mendl thinks they may be unaware that help is available. 这一状况类似于人类的低落情绪。其可能的成因包括基因造成的性格倾向、生活经历以及其他因素。即便狗主人认识到了他们家狗有这问题，孟德尔认为，他们也许还不知道这有治。
Therapy "might involve teaching dogs to be less dependent on owner attention, and getting them progressively more relaxed about being left by their owners," he said. "Some severe cases may also need drug therapy in addition to behavior therapy."疗法“包括教会狗狗减少对主人照料的依赖，让它们逐渐习惯于被主人独自留在家里，”他说。“情况严重时，可能需要药物疗法结合行为疗法。”