Research has documented positive emotional states in pigs, not just the absence of negative ones. Understanding positive pig welfare enables richer welfare assessment.
Research into positive pig emotional states has extended welfare science beyond measuring the absence of suffering to documenting the presence of positive experiences. Pigs in enriched environments not only show fewer stress indicators but actively express behaviours that are indicative of positive states — play, exploration, and social affiliation conducted with apparent enthusiasm. The cognitive bias tests that demonstrate optimistic versus pessimistic baseline states in pigs provide a window into emotional life that goes beyond physical health measures. Farms that create conditions for positive emotional expression in pigs are providing something meaningfully better than farms that merely prevent the most obvious suffering. Consumer demand for positive welfare, not just the absence of negative welfare, would represent an ambitious and meaningful shift in the animal welfare conversation.