Animal welfare science is increasingly recognizing that good welfare is not just the absence of suffering but the presence of positive experiences. The concept of positive welfare is reshaping how we assess and improve animal lives.
The shift toward positive welfare as a welfare goal represents a genuine evolution in how we think about our obligations to animals. It is not enough to prevent pain, fear, and hunger — although that remains essential. Good welfare means animals can also express natural behaviors, engage in rewarding social interactions, explore and play, and experience positive affective states. This is a higher standard, but it is the right one. Animals are not simply suffering-minimization machines; they are beings with the capacity for positive experience, and their welfare should include attention to that capacity.