Modern animal welfare science is expanding beyond the absence of suffering to measure positive emotional states, recognising that good welfare requires animals to experience positive emotions.
The shift from welfare-as-absence-of-suffering to welfare-as-positive-states represents one of the most important conceptual advances in animal welfare science. An animal that is not sick, injured, or frightened may nonetheless be experiencing a life of monotony, frustration, and deprivation. Positive welfare requires environments where animals can engage in rewarding behaviours, experience social bonds, and exercise agency over their environment. Measuring positive emotional states — through play observation, judgement bias tests, and preference testing — provides welfare scientists with tools to evaluate whether animals are truly thriving rather than merely surviving. This science is now influencing certification schemes, species-specific housing standards, and consumer communication about animal products.