Positive Emotions in Pigs: The Science

Research into positive emotional states in pigs is transforming welfare assessment from measuring suffering to measuring flourishing.

Key Facts

Pigs have been shown to experience optimism and pessimism through cognitive bias tests
Play behaviour and social affiliative behaviours are indicators of positive affect
Pigs show anticipatory behaviour for rewards that indicates subjective positive experience
Environmental enrichment increases indicators of positive emotional states in pigs
The Five Domains model of animal welfare explicitly includes positive mental states

Welfare Considerations

Traditional animal welfare assessment focused on preventing suffering, but emerging science shows that welfare also requires the provision of positive experiences. Pigs in enriched environments with social freedom and foraging opportunities show neurological and behavioural signs of positive emotional states. Meeting the full welfare needs of pigs requires not just preventing negative experiences but actively providing the conditions for positive ones. This shift in welfare science has significant implications for production systems.

What You Can Do

Support welfare schemes that assess positive welfare indicators not just negative ones
Advocate for positive welfare provision requirements in legislation
Back research funding for positive affect assessment in farm animals
Choose pork from enriched systems that actively support positive pig experiences
Engage with the Five Domains model in welfare policy discussions