Emerging research demonstrates that farm animals experience positive emotions including play, anticipation, and social pleasure, transforming how we understand and assess their welfare.
For decades, animal welfare science focused almost exclusively on preventing suffering and negative states. The emerging science of positive welfare recognizes that freedom from suffering is not enough — animals should also experience positive emotions: pleasure, play, curiosity, comfort, and social connection. This paradigm shift has profound implications for how we design housing systems, enrichment programs, and welfare assessments. Measuring positive emotional states through cognitive bias tests, play frequency, and behavioral indicators is transforming farm animal welfare science.