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Happiness
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Charles Darwin believed strongly in the depth of animal emotions despite living in a time when it wasn't very widely accepted. He wrote this from his research with chimps, 'Young chimpanzees make a kind of barking noise, when pleased by the return of any one to whom they are attached. When this noise, which the keepers call a laugh, is uttered, the lips are protruded; but so they are under various other emotions...young Orangs, when tickled, likewise grin and make a chuckling sound; and Mr. Martin says that their eyes grow brighter. As soon as their laughter ceases, an expression may be detected passing over their faces, which, as Mr. Wallace remarked to me, may be called a smile. I have also noticed something of the same kind with the chimpanzee.' |
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Most dog owners will probably agree that dogs are able to feel happiness but some scientists still dispute this. Dogs have a hormone called dopamine as humans do. This hormone actually increases when dogs chew. If a dog feels anxious after an owner has gone out for the day, they'll chew cushions and shoes to increase their level of dopamine. |
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'It has been stated that foxes, however tame, never display any of the above expressive movements; but this is not strictly accurate. Many years ago I observed in the Zoological Gardens, and recorded the fact at the time, that a very tame English fox, when caressed by the keeper, wagged its tail, depressed its ears, and then threw itself on the ground, belly upwards.' Charles Darwin. |
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Dolphins may not perform tricks purely for the sake of the fish they are given. A lot of dolphins don't eat the fish they're given as a reward; most dolphins aren't very keen on fish unless it's completely fresh and prefer to catch the fish themselves. Maybe they simply enjoy interacting with humans and view the tricks as a form of playing? |
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In an Oceanarium, two male bottlenose dolphins were seperated after one of the dolphins was moved to another exhibit for three weeks. When the two were re-united, 'the two seemed very excited. For hours they hurtled around the tank side by side, occasionally leaping out of the water. For several days they spent all their time together, ignoring the other dolphin in the tank.' |
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Jaak Panksepp, talks of playing with his rats, 'when we tickled our rats, particularly at the nape of the neck where they typically initiate play with one another, they chirped at remarkably high levels. They thoroughly enjoyed being tickled and became especially fond of hands that tickled them, while showing no preference for hands that merely petted them.' |
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