Research into positive emotional states in pigs has transformed understanding of what good welfare looks like beyond the absence of suffering.
The welfare science of positive affect in pigs represents one of the most exciting developments in farm animal welfare. Traditional welfare assessment focused on identifying and reducing negative states including pain, fear, and deprivation. The positive welfare paradigm asks not only whether pigs are free from suffering but whether they are experiencing pleasure, curiosity, play, and social satisfaction. Pigs in enriched environments show more optimistic cognitive bias, engage in more play behaviour, and produce more positive vocalisations. These indicators provide practical tools for assessing whether farms are achieving genuinely good welfare rather than merely avoiding the worst conditions. Incorporating positive indicators into welfare audit frameworks drives farms toward active provision of good experiences.