Welfare science increasingly focuses on positive emotional states alongside the prevention of suffering. Research on positive emotions in pigs provides evidence for what high-quality welfare looks like.
The welfare science of positive emotions recognises that good welfare is not merely the absence of suffering but the presence of positive experiences — pleasure, contentment, curiosity, play, and social bonding. Research into pig positive emotions demonstrates that these animals have rich emotional lives when conditions allow. Play behaviour, optimistic bias, anticipatory excitement, and affiliative vocalisations are all measurable indicators of positive welfare states. The welfare imperative is not merely to eliminate pain and fear but to actively provide conditions that enable pigs to experience the positive states their biology makes possible.