Science Shows Animals Have Distinct Personalities

The primary justification for the cruelty that humanity inflicts on non-human animals is rooted in a kind of bigotry that some of us in the Animal Rights community refer to as “speciesism”, a philosophically that runs parallel to the other “isms” we condemn: racism, sexism, etc. Specieism makes the argument that humanity is not just intellectually superior to other animals, but morally superior to them. In other words it says we are under no obligation to consider non-human animals’ existence, their comfort, desires, feelings or safety when we make decisions that ultimately determine their fate. A speciesist views animals as property.

But the pseudo-science that is used to reinforce specieism is just as shaky as that which was used to justify racism and sexism in the past. And the more we learn about animals, the more it becomes apparent that they indeed deserve much better treatment than we as a society give them.

I wasn’t shocked, but rather fascinated, when I read an article in the NY Times last month about the burgeoning field of animal personality research. This kind of research is encouraging to me as a vegan because I think the more people begin to learn about the diverse range of animal personalities and thought, the more inclined they will be to respect them. The article in the NY Times made this, among other interesting points:

“Scientists studying animals from virtually every niche of the bestial kingdom have found evidence of distinctive personalities — bundled sets of behaviors, quirks, preferences and pet peeves that remain stable over time and across settings. They have found stylistic diversity in chimpanzees, monkeys, barnacle geese, farm minks, blue tits and great tits, bighorn sheep, dumpling squid, pumpkinseed sunfish, zebra finches, spotted hyenas, even spiders and water striders, to name but a few.”

Humans tend to flatter themselves into thinking we are the only species on the planet with distinctive personalities — the exception being our pets to whom we ascribe complementary personalities to our own. This presumption about our uniqueness is so ingrained in our understanding of the concept of a personality, that if you look up the word “personality” in the dictionary, you’ll find this near the bottom of the page:
“the quality or fact of being a person as distinct from a thing or animal”

We have used our distinctive personalities to delineate our mental qualities from those of non-human animals for centuries. But when we have more proof than ever of animals’ personalities, how do we continue to justify their suffering?

The argument I would make is that because we can clearly see that animals have feelings, distinct personalities, and desires, aren’t we under a moral obligation to respect their wishes: their wishes for comfort, freedom and the ability to live out their lives naturally?

The comprehensive personality research being conducted by scientists, like Max Wolf, is one more nail in the coffin of the speciesist mindset. When we are noticing concrete, measurable personality traits in animals, from primates down to insects like water striders, how long will we continue to view animals as biomachines, lower than us privileged humans?

Photo: TimVickers

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Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
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Past Member .

8:56AM PDT on Sep 3, 2011

I do not want to eat meat, consume dairy products or wear leather or fur...and I hope more ppl r like me now...

send a green star

elaine v.

5:15AM PDT on Sep 3, 2011

pfft, i must be smarter than the scientist who discovered this, then. i knew this just by observing my dogs.

and that's in the comfort of my own home.

7:06PM PDT on Aug 14, 2010

Any aware pet owner knows animals have personalities, memories, opinions and are in every way, except body type, human.

And they certainly reflect the personality of God far better than humans do. They are caring, faithful, humble, serving ....the things Yahshua said we should try to be.

There was no room for the Christ Child in the inn, with people, but the animals welcomed him into the stable and shared with him the warmth of their bodies and their caring.

It is said that a cat and her kittens were cuddled together under the manger. I'm sure their purring was a sweet welcome,.

Philippa P.

2:45PM PDT on Aug 5, 2010

No surprise for anyone who spends time with animals.

Debi C.

2:46PM PDT on Jun 15, 2010

This doesn't surprise me at all. If you observe animals, or even insects, long enough, you will see that they have their own unique personalities, just as we do. I didn't need scientists to tell me that, but it is nice to hear that they are discovering the same thing too :D

Darcy L.

10:11AM PDT on Jun 15, 2010

Has anyone read "Kinship with all life" by J.Allen Boone? I highly recommend it.
The "critters" can teach us so much.
It really is wonderful that the "critters" did not choose war. So how smart are we?

dve d.

12:50AM PDT on Jun 15, 2010

we spent all that cash for some one to say this . all animals have brains we learn from them .we human all come from the animal kindom

Katherine C.

12:18AM PDT on Jun 14, 2010

They surely do have different characters and can think! The moment the cat starts to get tummy rubbies, or he hops into my lap, the dog comes over for attention, also. Or she will lay there and "moan". If she is really insulted, she will leave and go upstairs. Same for when the hamster and the skinny pig get attention. She has a whole series of moans for every occasion. She also HATES to get wet, and she is half Lab and half Shepherd! She will hold herself until her eyes are bulging just so she doesn't have to go on the wet grass. When you push her off the concrete onto the grass to go, she goes as fast as she can and runs right back in again! She knows that D O G spells dog, so you can't spell that or O U T, because she knows that, too, and then wants to immediately go for a walk. I'm thinking she's doing some thinking, too!

Mariliis M.

9:06AM PDT on Jun 13, 2010

Very good article, thank you! It doesn't come to me as a surprise, either. We are all part of animal kingdom, so it only makes sense we all have different personalities, not just human beings.

Maggie S.

8:41AM PDT on Jun 13, 2010

Read any book written by Marc Bekhoff, a wonderful researcher on animal behavior. Anyone who has had a relationship with an animal will never doubt that they have personalities and feelings. People should never "own" animals, but share a life with them and respect them. Animals have much more dignity and are more honest than people. I prefer them to most people, and I will go out of my way and take risks for animals. That is what gives me a great deal of satisfaction,