【推荐3】The physiological (生理的) processes associated with a psychological stress response produce changes in human breath and sweat that dogs can detect with an accuracy of 93. 75%, according to a new study published this week in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Clara Wilson of Queen’s University Belfast, UK, and colleagues.

In the new study, the researchers collected samples ( 样 本 ) of breath and sweat from non-smokers who had not recently eaten or drunk. Samples were collected both before and after a fast-paced maths task, along with self. reported stress levels and objective physiological measures: heart rate (HR)and blood pressure (BP). Samples from 36 participants who reported an increase in stress because of the task, and experienced an increase in HR and BP during the task, were shown to dogs within three hours of being collected.

Four dogs of different kinds had been taught by researchers to match smells in a discrimination task. Then at testing, dogs were asked to find the participant’s stress sample (taken at the end of the task) while the same person’s relaxed sample (taken only minutes before, prior to the task starting) was also in the sample group.

Overall, dogs could detect and perform their alert (警觉的) behavior on the sample taken during stress in 675 out of 720 trials, or 93. 75% of the time, much greater than expected by chance. The first time they were exposed to a participant’s stressed and relaxed samples, the dogs correctly alerted to the stress sample 94. 44% of the time. Individual dogs ranged in performance from 90% to 96. 88% accuracy.

Clara Wilson, the lead study author, explains, “The findings show that we, as humans, produce different smells through our sweat and breath when we are stressed and dogs can tell this apart from our smells when relaxed using what they do best— smelling— even if it is someone they do not know. ”The study made us more aware of a dog’s ability to use their nose to “see” the world, which could be useful when training service dogs and therapy dogs.

【推荐1】Birds are becoming popular as pets, but unlike owners with more common pets, owners of birds are often not familiar with the behavioural patterns (行为模式) of the animal which allow them to recognise what the pet needs and wants. For example, most of us can recognise the behaviour a dog exhibits when he is hungry or wants attention, but how many of us know how birds go about showing the same feelings?

By learning about the behavioural patterns of the bird, his owner can forge a stronger relationship with the pet. Owners can learn how to read birds’ body language, including movements of the eyes, wings, tail and beak (喙). In addition, the sounds the bird makes can also show the mood, desires, and requirements of the pet.

A bird’s eyes are different from a human’s. While both birds and humans have pupils (瞳孔) and irises (虹膜), birds have the ability to control the size of their pupils by enlarging and reducing their irises quickly. This behaviour, flashing, is something birds may do when they are angry, interested, or frightened.

A bird also communicates through the use of his wings. A bird may lift or open his wings as a sign of happiness. But if the bird starts opening and closing his wings, it may signal anger or pain. If a bird fails to fold his wings against his body, and instead lets them hang by his sides, the bird may be ill. Healthy adult birds will typically tuck (折起) their wings against their bodies when they are at rest.

Birds often use their tail feathers to communicate, so an understanding of this behaviour will help the pet’s owner. A bird may move his tail from side to side, called wagging, to express happiness (similar to dogs in behaviour and meaning). Happiness is also the emotion expressed by other kinds of tail movements, such as moving up and down. However, if a bird fans his tail feathers out, it is usually a way to show anger or aggression.

【推荐2】Is it easy for you to feel scared? Does art make you cry? Do you feel other people’s feelings? On the other hand, do you tend to be overwhelmed by crowds, bright lights or strong perfume? Bad news — or maybe good. You could be an HSP, a highly sensitive person.

How can we understand what’s happening inside an HSP? The term was coined in 1996 by psychologist Elaine Aron and she argued that sensitive brains are uniquely tired to process their environment at a deep level. Her theory’s most striking claim is that physical and emotional sensitivity are one and the same. A complicated attention to body language strengthens empathy (共鸣); responsiveness to subtle physical signals creates rich sensations in HSPs, but can also overwhelm.

In the workplace, HSPs are usually the highest performers, yet the first to get tired out. They can struggle in relationships, as they tend to be people-pleasing. The ability to connect is of huge value and higher sensitivity is linked with creativity, brilliance and higher IQ. The trait is shared by pioneers across science, business and the arts — anyone who notices details others don’t, makes connections they can’t.

No matter what you call it, sensitivity is defined as the ability to sense, process, and respond deeply to one’s environment. People who are sensitive naturally pick up more information from their environment, process it more deeply, and are ultimately more shaped by it. Much of this deep processing happens involuntarily and many sensitive people aren’t even aware that they do it. A better word for sensitive might be responsive. If you are a highly sensitive person, your body and mind respond more to the world around you. You respond more to heartbreak, pain and loss, but you also respond more to beauty, new ideas and joy. You go deep where others only skim the surface. You keep thinking when others have given up and moved on to something else.