# Dogs Share Human Brain Quirk With Sound Shapes

> Dogs and humans both associate 'bouba' with rounded shapes and 'kiki' with spiky ones, new study shows.
- Title: Dogs Share Human Brain Quirk With Sound Shapes · vice
- Summary: Dogs and humans both associate 'bouba' with rounded shapes and 'kiki' with spiky ones, new study shows. Dogs and humans share a brain quirk linking sounds to…
- Keywords: bouba, kiki, dogs, human brain, sound shapes, sensory wiring, news, culture, Share, Human, Brain, Quirk
- Source: vice — https://vice.com/en/article/how-your-dogs-brain-works-more-like-yours-than-you-think-according-to-scientists
- Author: Luis Prada
- Published: 2026-10-16T21:39:32+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: bouba, kiki, dogs, human brain, sound shapes, sensory wiring, news, culture
## Bouba-Kiki Effect
Dogs and humans both link 'bouba' to rounded shapes and 'kiki' to spiky shapes.

> bouba feels soft and rounded, while kiki feels sharp and spiky
## Study Finds Dogs Share Quirk
Researchers tested 51 dogs and their humans to see if they share the bouba-kiki brain quirk.

> When bouba played, dogs lingered on rounded shapes; when kiki dropped, they stared harder at spiky shapes
## Owners Don't Influence Results
Dogs showed same preference when owners wore headphones blasting rock music.

> The results stayed the same when owners wore headphones blasting rock music
## Key takeaway

Dogs and humans share a brain quirk linking sounds to shapes, suggesting similar sensory wiring across species.