Lessons learned: Don’t be unfair

Posted on December 9, 2008 by Bill Wren

In the usual kerfuffle known as the news of the day, you may have missed this: Dogs show envy, researchers say. In a paper with the dreary and somewhat obfuscating title, “The absence of reward induces inequity aversion in dogs,” researchers conclude that dogs, like people, don’t like inequality (well, unless we’re on the better side of the unfair treatment).

And what might we conclude from their conclusion? Like people, animals are aware of, and do not respond well to, unfair treatment.

I wonder how this might relate to businesses and things like reward programs, preferred customer status and so on? If nothing else, it reminds us that unfair treatment generally creates a negative response in those on the wrong side of the treatment, be it people or dogs.

It also reminds us that researchers can’t write titles to save their lives.

About Bill Wren

Writer, editor, social media practitioner and observer of how and where people connect and engage online.
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  • http://zodomatica.com/ Tzaddi

    I have two dogs who are 2-year-old littermates. I see them do things I’d interpret as envy all of the time. Especially Maggie who lets out little ‘woofs’ to let us know she needs attention too. Her brother Jack is smaller, cuter, and tends to get more attention from everybody he meets. And you should see the look they give us when one of them smells a treat on the other’s breath!

  • http://zodomatica.com Tzaddi

    I have two dogs who are 2-year-old littermates. I see them do things I’d interpret as envy all of the time. Especially Maggie who lets out little ‘woofs’ to let us know she needs attention too. Her brother Jack is smaller, cuter, and tends to get more attention from everybody he meets. And you should see the look they give us when one of them smells a treat on the other’s breath!