Advanced cognitive abilities in many animal species have direct implications for the complexity of welfare needs that must be met.
Advanced cognition creates more complex welfare needs that basic physical provision cannot meet. Cognitively sophisticated animals in barren environments experience a form of intellectual deprivation analogous to sensory deprivation in humans. Problem-solving species like pigs and corvids need appropriate cognitive challenges to avoid frustration. Social animals with theory of mind need complex social environments. The growing recognition of animal cognition requires expanding welfare standards to meet cognitive as well as physical needs.