11 Facts About Animal Testing. [6] Researchers note that when concealing a strong emotion, people tend to let out “micro-expressions,” or sudden leakages, of emotion unbeknownst to themselves very briefly, … Emotional Support Pets: Separating Fact from Fallacy. 95% of Animals Used Are Not Protected Under the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) According to the AWA, the term “animal” refers to dogs, cats, monkeys, guinea pigs, hamsters, and rabbits. But willfully ignoring evidence of animal behaviors that look suspiciously like human emotions is unscientific and biased, too. What are emotions is a hard question, so hard in fact that scientists can’t agree on an answer [1]. On this page, we explore what emotions are, look at some scientific research and answer the all-important question ‘do animals feel emotions?’. Alain Boissy, Hans W. Erhard, in Genetics and the Behavior of Domestic Animals (Second Edition), 2014. So since our brains are hardwired the same way as an animal's, the theory is that it makes intuitive sense for similar stuff to be going on up there [sources: Bekoff, Tangley]. Many people have seen their pets behave in a way that suggests that they experience emotions. In fact, because animals and humans express similar kinds of emotions, Charles Darwin believed the emotional difference between animals and humans is largely one of complexity and not of kind. Web Accessed March 3, 2015. E very animal lover knows it’s true: Animals are capable of complex, and very real, emotions. Learn more animal cruelty facts so you are empowered to fight for change. Yet, in a charade synonymous with the old fable of "The Emperor's New Clothes," we accept as a fact so many concepts about "generic" animals' feelings and emotions that we would never accept for any animals we have raised and know well. The emotional support animal (ESA) is relatively new in the landscape of working animals, and it’s important to understand that service animals and emotional support animals are treated very differently under the law. But if animals do, in fact, feel emotions, to what extent do they experience them, and is there a sliding scale in terms of which animals undergo which emotions? Here are 10 horrifying facts about animal testing that are about to ruin your day. Emotion is defined as any mental experience with high intensity and high hedonic content. 1. ... "Top Five Shocking Animal Experimentation Facts." Someone who only experiences positive emotions runs the risk of becoming complacent and ignoring the issues that really matter. Learn more animal cruelty facts so you are empowered to fight for change. Our society doesn’t quite accept this—yet—but research is continuing to put forth evidence way beyond the anecdotal. So scientists said, “All we can know about animals is based on what they do. Animal Emotions Do animals think and feel? Joseph LeDoux, a researcher at New York University, says no, at least, they don’t have emotions and feelings the way humans do. For example, some dogs whimper when their owners leave the house, and some cats seem jealous of other animals. Animal Abuse Statistics In case you needed more convincing, here are other research-backed facts that prove beyond a doubt that we're not the only animals on the planet who possess the cognitive and emotional … That means helping your child to make sense of the following seven surprising facts about emotions—facts that are critically important to functioning well in relationships, but that tend to be anything but intuitive to a newbie to the world of emotions.