40% of Americans believe in ghosts and 19% claim to have seen one. According to a new paper in Anthrozoös Journal by Dr. Jen Golbeck, bereaved dog lovers may benefit from supernatural experiences with their deceased pets. Psychology Today psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/anim…

New paper - I just published an exploration of grief and ghosts after the loss of a dog. This paper came from my final project in a Harvard University class on the supernatural. Psychology Today has a great writeup by Hal Herzog and the full paper is at @anthrozoosj psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/anim…

flashback to when the AKC advocated against calling dog people "guardians", favoring "owners"

in this dystopian future, where people do not -gasp- breed dogs, we might have dogs who don't look exactly as we order! and don't have inherited diseases caused by dangerously high levels of inbreeding! *dangerous*

Alexandra Horowitz Breeders breed according to a ridiculous standard: i.e., Dalmatian spots must be no bigger than a palm and must never, ever overlap.

Great opportunity to present at #ISAZ2024 without needing to travel👇👇

Reports of encounters with the ghosts of deceased dogs are surprisingly common—and the first-ever study of such experiences finds that the vast majority are positive. Here's what we've learned, writes Hal Herzog psychologytoday.com/us/blog/animal…

Study explores how hormones influence attachment to humans. Akitas show higher urinary cortisol, while both breeds have similar oxytocin levels. Labradors display more attachment behaviors in tests, suggesting breed-specific responses rooted in genetics. sciencedirect.com/science/articl…

v. cool provocation by Zoë Schlanger in her exciting upcoming book The Light Eaters: after learning the depths of plant life and inter-species communication, she takes a look at the potted plants around her home, extracted from their earthen ecology, and sees...dogs

Yikes. New study in Nature (N = 180,000) links a "vegetarian-type diet" with "anxiety symptoms, depressive symptoms, mental distress, psychotic experience, self-harm and trauma and a relatively lower well-being score." Worth a read. nature.com/articles/s4422…

Hi all Kathryn Francis Maria Ioannidou and I are looking for participants for a new study on moral decisions involving people and animals. Please feel free to participate/share the (short) survey. Thank you😊 keelepsych.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8r…

Excellent book review - Is it okay to eat plants? "Planta Sapiens raises ethical questions about how we treat plants, suggesting that if plants are indeed intelligent, they might deserve considerations similar to those we increasingly extend to animals." wellbeingintl.org/branching-out-….

I am beyond honored to have received the ISAZ 2024 Early Career Award, following in the footsteps of badasses Maggie O'Haire, Carri Westgarth, Karin Hediger, and Megan Mueller👏Big shoes to fill! Excited to see everyone at #ISAZ2024 🇬🇧

Hal argues that there is no pet effect but that the pet food industry makes money on claiming that it exists.

#ISAZ2024: Congratulations to Dr. Kerri Rodriguez for winning the early career award International Society for Anthrozoology (ISAZ)! So well deserved and we can’t wait to hear your speech!

This was so fun! Thanks #ISAZ2024!

I was so sad to hear of the death of Sarah Knight. We co-edited a special issue of the Journal of Social Issues on human-animal relationships, and she did pioneering work on the impact of the psychology of Belief in Animal Minds. bps.org.uk/psychologist/d…

“For example, there are no common variants that increase or decrease IQ by, say, 2 points. But there are hundreds or even thousands of variants that increase or decrease IQ by a tiny fraction of a point.” stevestewartwilliams.com/p/the-fourth-l…

Callie, the world’s 1st MRI-dog, crossed the rainbow bridge today. The hole she has left in my heart is immense. Although she never knew it, her willingness to play in the MRI scanner changed the lives of countless dogs and other animals in the world. RIP (2009-2024).

The claim by J.D. Vance and Donald Trump that Haitian migrants in Ohio kidnap and eat pet cats is a vicious lie. But, it is likely that millions of cats are consumed by humans each year. Psychology Today psychologytoday.com/us/blog/animal…