00:00Many people have difficulties connecting with cats, as they take more time to form bonds than with dogs.
00:05But now experts say, if you want to get close to a kitty more quickly, all you have to do is smile.
00:10But not like that. Cats have their own language, but since their vocalizations are extremely limited,
00:15most of that language involves visual cues.
00:17And this is what a cat's smile actually looks like, when they squint their eyes and blink slowly.
00:23Cat researchers designed two experiments to test whether or not humans could return the gesture,
00:27finding that when human cat owners gave the same squint and slow blink at their pets,
00:31the cats were more likely to return the same smile back.
00:34What's more, in another experiment, the researchers did the blinking smile at the cats rather than their owners.
00:40And in that scenario, when a blink smile was given and a hand extended to the feline test subjects,
00:45they were more likely to approach and interact after the eye gesture was provided.
00:49Which they say is the first empirical evidence of this approach actually working in a laboratory setting,
00:54with one of the researchers, psychologist Karen McComb, saying about it,
00:57And it is something you can try yourself with your own cat at home, or with cats you meet in the street.
01:02It's a great way of enhancing the bond you have with cats.
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