Why are many people bitten by dogs?

The reason why some people get attacked by dogs more often than others is related to their personality and psychology.

"I don't know what the problem is, but the dogs are always trying to bite me," a young man in his 20s told Stanley Coren, Professor Emeritus at the Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia (Canada). .

He continued, "For example, just last Tuesday, I was rushing down the street to a lunch date. I was just passing by a woman who was leading a German Shepherd, suddenly the dog sprang. came and bit my leg.

Fortunately, things weren't too bad. I have scratched my skin, bleed a little. The woman apologized, saying she had raised this dog for more than 2 years and that it has never been aggressive towards anyone other than me. Can you explain what's going on? ”.

While the young man was speaking, as a psychologist, Stanley Coren began observing his body language.

As he spoke, he rubbed his cheeks and stroked his hair. Meanwhile, he blinks more often than the average person would. His lips are also tight, rubbing his hands together and constantly shifting his weight from leg to foot. These are some signs of anxiety, insecurity, and suffering, Stanley Coren realized.

"So I think he's worried not just because the dog bites, but he also has psychological problems," the professor said.

Professor Stanley Coren made this conclusion because he had just finished reading an article published in the "Journal of Epidemiology and Public Health". The article was written by a team of researchers from the University of Liverpool, led by epidemiologist Carri Westgarth.

This study attempts to gather information about dog bites and whether there are specific characteristics that cause a person to be attacked by dogs more often.

This is not an easy task as many dog ​​bites, such as the one Professor Stanley Coren just described, do not require medical attention and are therefore not reported.

So the researchers focused on a single community of 1,280 households in Cheshire, UK. They gathered data from 694 residents.

They estimate that there are only about 19 dog bites per 1,000 residents per year, and only a very small percentage of them require medical treatment or hospitalization. They also found that bites were more likely to occur from unfamiliar dogs (55%).

In addition, children under 15 are at greatest risk and account for 44% of all dog bites. Men are almost twice as likely to be bitten than women.

According to Professor Stanley Coren, this is the first study to attempt to link dog attacks with the personality of victims of bites. Most interestingly, they found an important personality aspect.

Researchers often asked questions that focused on the psychosis (irritability, anger, fear, sadness, anxiety, hostility and vulnerability) of the person collected.

From these studies, the scientists found that people with psychosis have a 22% higher risk of dog bites than those with emotional stability.

The team has a hard time explaining why people with high neurological disorders are more susceptible to dog attacks. It is possible that an individual's anxiety and insecurity causes them to emit different pheromones (odor molecules with biological significance).

Certain studies show that certain pheromones can help calm dogs. Therefore, it does not seem out of the way that other pheromones can provoke the dog to act aggressively. Discomfort associated with high levels of psychosis can facilitate their creation.

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However, the researchers also suggest that certain types of behavior in a psychotic person can cause dogs to notice them and target them.

Professor Stanley Coren said dogs are masters at reading body language. A person exhibits insecurity and fear, making others slightly uncomfortable - a phenomenon known as emotional contagion.

Perhaps dogs feel the same way, their discomfort motivates them to act. With a less subtle mind, they could argue that the most effective way to keep this slightly annoying person away from them is with a warning bite.

Therefore, people with psychotic signs or behavior may become targets of dog aggression just because they make dogs near them uncomfortable.