http://www.care2.com/greenliving/do-animals-have-emotions.html
Do Animals Have Emotions?
By Marc Bekoff, PhD, The Bark
One of the hottest questions in the study of animal behavior is, “Do animals have emotions?” And the simple and correct answer is, “Of course they do.” Just look at them, listen to them and, if you dare, smell the odors that pour out when they interact with friends and foes. Look at their faces, tails, bodies and, most importantly, their eyes. What we see on the outside tells us a lot about what’s happening inside animals’ heads and hearts. Animal emotions aren’t all that mysterious.
When I first began my studies three decades ago -asking the question, “What does it feel like to be a dog or a wolf?” researchers were almost all skeptics who spent their time wondering if dogs, cats, chimpanzees and other animals felt anything. Since feelings don’t fit under a microscope, these scientists usually didn’t find any, and, as I like to say, I’m glad I wasn’t their dog!
But now there are far fewer skeptics; prestigious scientific journals publish essays on joy in rats, grief in elephants and empathy in mice and no one blinks. The question of real importance is not whether animals have emotions, but why animal emotions have evolved. Simply put, emotions have evolved as adaptations in numerous species. They serve as a social glue to bond animals with one another and also catalyze and regulate a wide variety of social encounters among friends and foes.
Emotions permit animals to behave adaptively and flexibly, using various behavior patterns in a wide variety of venues. Research has shown that mice are empathic rodents, but it turns out they’re fun-loving as well. We also read accounts of pleasure-seeking iguanas; amorous whales; angry baboons; elephants who suffer from psychological flashbacks and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD- elephants have a huge hippocampus, a brain structure in the limbic system that’s important in processing emotions); grieving otters, magpies and donkeys; sentient fish; and a sighted dog who serves as a seeing-eye dog for his blind canine buddy. Today, the paradigm has shifted to such an extent that the burden of ‘proof’ now falls on those who still argue that animals don’t experience emotions.
Many researchers also recognize that we have to be anthropomorphic (attribute human traits to animals) when we discuss animal emotions, but that if we do it carefully, we can still give due consideration to the animals points of view. No matter what we call it, researchers agree that animals and humans share many traits, including emotions. Thus, we’re not inserting something human into animals; rather, we’re identifying commonalities and then using human language to communicate what we observe. Being anthropomorphic is doing what’s natural and necessary to understand animal emotions.
More from Megan, selected from The Bark (11 articles available)
Robyn
Melissa
Deepak
Eric
Dave
Dr. Brent
Isha
Susan
Delia
Michelle
Wendy
Megan
Hilary
Ann
Judi
Ronnie
Kelly
Lily
Terri
Betsy
Cait
Andrew
Jana
Annie B.
Veronica
56 comments
add your comment »I see many believers that believe animals have not souls and spirits, they are superficial in the knowledge of the Holy Scripture ... and then about the things of God.
Be blessed in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ
sdhc
send green star | flag as inappropriate
why is this inappropriate?
If animals are seen as something more than 'dumb brutes' how can big agribusiness, laboratories, and entertainment industries justify the daily brutality? Bringing animals 'up to' human level opens doors they don't want the public to access. The reality of animals experiencing fear and pain should be all it takes to abolish experimentation and factory farms. This should not even be an issue up for discussion.
send green star | flag as inappropriate
why is this inappropriate?
wow..i guess im surprised at this..thats like asking do we all need air or water...its so in your face obvious that they do
have emotions and there 100% honest ones at that,,
there is never a doubt in my mind what my 4 legged children/friends are exspressing joy or yes disapointment if i have to go out without them..and they dont ever try to FAKE IT...when i walk through the door Herschelle P. Wadd
almost bends his body in half wagging his tail and yes showing some serous emotions......and hes just my hamster..
ha ha just kidden hes my 6 year old puppy [like all moms say...hell always be my baby boy!!]
anyway my point is...in regards to this question...well my cat acts the same.. so my answer is...........WELL DUHHHHHHHHHH !!!!!!!
send green star | flag as inappropriate
why is this inappropriate?
Together will fight humans who say those things to submit animals to their will.
we must protect them now that the world is in our hands! Overpopulation is killing animals all over cruelly !
send green star | flag as inappropriate
why is this inappropriate?
i loved this article and all the comments that were left..it brings me back down and realize that good people still exist in the world..i rescued 7 cats from the street and rescued 2 others that i gave away..and i can honsetly say that each one of them are specially unique in their own way..and they can all be very affectionate which is very easy to see in their eyes and body language..
send green star | flag as inappropriate
why is this inappropriate?
i loved this article and all the people leaving comments..it brings me back down and reassures me there are still good people in the world..i have 7 cats that i've rescued from the street...and 2 other that i rescued and that i gave away..and each one of them are specially unique in their own way and are very loving..i can see it in their eyes and body language..
send green star | flag as inappropriate
why is this inappropriate?
I have 5 cats and a dog.. they all show love to me and eachother, and enjoy it back. They get stroppy and jealous.. just like my kids... the only difference i see between my pets and kids is that my kids can shout louder!!
send green star | flag as inappropriate
why is this inappropriate?
sam brown - you make wonderful comments.
i have a few favorite quotations regarding animals:
The animals of the world exist for their own reasons. They were not made for humans any more than black people were made for white, or women created for men.
- Alice Walker
It is just like man's vanity and impertinence to call an animal dumb because it is dumb to his dull perceptions. The fact that man knows right from wrong proves his intellectual superiority to the other creatures; but the fact that he can do wrong proves his moral inferiority to any creatures that cannot.
- Mark Twain
We have enslaved the rest of the animal creation, and have treated our distant cousins in fur and feathers so badly that beyond doubt, if they were able to formulate a religion, they would depict the Devil in human form.
- William Ralph Inge
The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.
- Mahatma Gandhi
Until we extend our circle of compassion to all living things, humanity will not find peace.
Think occasionally of the suffering of which you spare yourself the sight.
- Albert Schweitzer
A hundred years from now, it will not matter the sort of house I lived in, what my bank account was, or the car I drove...But the world may be different because I was important in the life of animals and the creatures on this earth.
- Unknown
send green star | flag as inappropriate
why is this inappropriate?
i love returning to these comments - so many wonderful ones.
another personal anecdote you might like:
several years ago i had a big classic truck and was making a turn onto a very busy crazy street with several lanes in both directions and it was during the day so it was nuts as far as traffic was concerned. as i was making the left turn, there was a mother duck and more than half a dozen teeny ducklings trying to scurry across the street and had made it to the middle of the street and were heading the the right where the curb was at to a hill that awaited them.
i stopped my truck and blocked traffic, scrambled out to grab each one of the little ducklings, mother duck paused and watched me approvingly, as i carefully and quickly put them up on the sidewalk aside the hill.
some guy behind me stopped to help, came over and just watched me instead with this great smile on his face. i was waiting for hordes of drivers to honk at me upset by this diversion in traffic but i ignored and just continued to do what needed to be done - nearly lost one duckling down a drain but scooped him/her up before that could happen. when all were up and moving along up the hill together, i stood up and this guy was still smiling all goofy at me. i said, what? he said very softly, you did a good thing and continued to smile. i said, what else could i do?? (that was what had to be done)
it was so special to me to see the mother and the trusting look she gave me. i love that. :)
send green star | flag as inappropriate
why is this inappropriate?
Everyone has feelings weather you walk on two legs or four. We all have emotions. We show when we are sad, scared, and happy. the sad part is, animals are more sympathetic then most humans. They are loyal and don't hurt each other or humans. Unlike some humans we hurt one another and even defenseless animals. You don't need a study to figure out if animals have emotions.
send green star | flag as inappropriate
why is this inappropriate?
Facebook account: