ANIMAL EMOTIONS:

THE ABILITY OF ANIMALS TO

EXPERIENCE MORE COMPLEX
EMOTION
Allison Vineyard
Sponsor: Dr. Deborah Waller

Sentience
has a broad definition of an individual having the capability to experience one or more emotions and
to feel, perceive, or experience subjectively.

To be considered a sentient being one must meet a few criteria

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

the ability to evaluate the actions of others in relation to itself and third parties
be able to remember some of its own actions and their consequences
ability to assess risks and benefits
to have some feelings and
to have some degree of awareness

Oxytocin
Oxytocin is normally produced in the hypothalamus and known as a feel good
chemical
It is known in humans to play a role in social bonding, sexual reproduction in
both sexes, and both during and after childbirth.
This release of oxytocin after childbirth is to aid in maternal bonding with offspring.

Oxytocin is released into the bloodstream as a hormone linked to empathy,

emotion recognition, and socioemotional engagement
In rodents, this chemical has been associated with consolation behaviors.

Consolation
o Consolation behavior is comfort received by an
individual after a loss or discomfort.
o Consolation behaviors calm the individual and
build a bond between the consoler and the
consoled.
o In this experiment prairie voles, which are
known to mate for life, were placed in separate
enclosures and then reunited where consolation
behaviors were timed and recorded.

Consolation results

 Results with Asian elephants

showed that when an
individual shows signs of
distress there was much more
consoling behavior by the
remainder of the herd,
including touching of the
trunk to genitals, mouth, and
head.

Types of consolation observed in elephants

Jealousy
o Jealousy is an emotion that is
frequently observed in human
behavior.
o This emotion requires a social
triangle and an intruder in this
relationship that can threaten it.

o Domestic dogs have been reported as displaying jealousy

towards individuals that come in contact with their owners just
as often as they display anxiety and anger.

oThirty six dogs were individually tested and videotaped while their owners gave their
attention to three different objects, ignoring the dog.
oThe first object was a stuffed dog that mimicked a real life dog that barked and wagged its
tail.

oThe second object was a jack-o-lantern pail and instructions were to play with pail
as if it were a real dog.
oThe third object was a childrens book that had pop-ups and made noises.

Behavior Exhibited

Observed gaze

o Once the pair began to build their nest the

researcher waited until the male was away
foraging and placed a stuffed male bluebird in a
tree not far from the nest.
o When the male returned to the nest and noticed
the male not far away he began to squawk,
hover, and snap his bill at the intruding male.
o Not only did he attack the male but he also
attacked his mate and pulled out feathers
eventually causing the female to leave the nest

In conclusion
There have been many more of these experiments, using other animals and testing different motivations.
Evolution plays a big part in these abilities because animals have been able to display behaviors that help
them to survive and pass them down to offspring either through genetic information or just through social
learning.
With the aid of these experiments it is very easy to assume that animals are capable of experiencing these
complex emotions.

References
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Naturalist, 110, 10971101. DOI: 10.1086/283129
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DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0004387
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Magon, N., & Kalra, S. (2011). The orgasmic history of oxytocin: love, lust, and labor. Indian J Endocrinol Metab 15(Suppl 3): S156S161. Doi: 10.4103/22308210.84851
Plotnik, J. M., & de Waal, F.B.M. (2014) Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) reassure others in distress. Peer J 2: e278. DOI: 10.7717/peerj.278
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Questions?