[Animals] "Emotions not only evolved in human beings": this is the internal life of other species

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Cognition is more diverse than we thought: other species of mammals and birds also dream, suffer and have a sense of humor.
For 8 years I have lived with my dog Charlie who, despite being a bloodhound, is lousy at tracking scents. Whenever I come home he greets me with joy, even if I have only gone out to the store. When I laugh, I hear his tail tapping on the floor in the next room; he reacts to my joy even if he doesn't see me.

Although we share that bond, I often sit next to him on the couch, hug him, and ask my wife, “Do you think he loves me?” “Yes, yes!” she replies with just a touch of exasperation, kind of generous of hers considering how often I do it.

This could be considered a ritual in our house. I wonder if Charlie will think anything of it. Watching him sunbathe on the porch, a deeper question comes to mind: how similar are the minds of animals to ours? Will they have thoughts, feelings and memories like us?

 

Intelligence is not only human
As humans, we still consider ourselves different from other animals. However, in the last 50 years scientists have accumulated evidence of intelligence in many non-human species. The New Caledonian crow uses twigs to extract insect larvae from the bark of trees. Octopuses solve puzzles and protect the entrance to their burrows with rocks. There is no doubt that many animals possess extraordinary cognitive abilities. But could they be more than just sophisticated automatons concerned only with survival and procreation?

A growing number of behavioral studies, combined with observations in the wild – such as a killer whale nudging her dead calf for weeks – are revealing that many species have more in common with humans than previously believed. Elephants mourn, dolphins play for fun, cuttlefish have different personalities, crows seem to respond to the emotional state of other crows. Many primates form strong friendships. In some species, such as elephants and killer whales, the older ones share with the younger ones the knowledge acquired through experience. Others, like rats, perform acts of empathy and kindness.

He also reads: Young killer whales learn from their grandmothers how to hunt and feed

Consciousness is more diverse than we thought
This emerging landscape of consciousness, among such diverse non-human species, is like a Copernican revolution in the way we view those beings with whom we share the planet. Until about three decades ago, the minds of animals were not even considered a subject worthy of investigation.

“AND THAT ANIMALS HAD EMOTIONS…THAT WAS FOR ROMANTICS,” OBSERVES ETHOLOGIST FRANS DE WAAL OF EMORY UNIVERSITY, WHO HAS DEDICATED HIS LIFE TO STUDYING PRIMATE BEHAVIOR. DE WAAL WAS ONE OF THE FIRST TO PROPOSE THAT ANIMAL CONSCIOUSNESS BE RECOGNIZED. FOR ABOUT 20 YEARS AGO,” HE COMMENTS, “SCIENTISTS BEGAN TO ADMIT THAT CERTAIN SPECIES HAD SCIENCE, BUT MAINTAINED THAT THEIR EXPERIENCES WERE NOT COMPARABLE WITH OURS AND THEREFORE WERE MEANINGLESS.

Today, some behaviorists are beginning to believe that "the internal processes of many animals are as complex as those of humans"; de Waal points out. “The difference is that we express them through language; we can talk about our feelings.”

If this new appreciation is widely accepted, it could lead to a total reconsideration of how we humans relate to other species, how we treat them. “If you recognize that animals have emotions, which includes insect consciousness, then they take on moral relevance,” explains de Waal. “They are not the same as stones. They are sentient beings."

We suggest: Cats look to their human families as a source of security and emotional support, study reveals

Delving into the inner life of other species
However, the scientific mission to understand the inner lives of animals is controversial: some experts consider that knowing the mind of another species is practically impossible.

“Attributing feelings to an animal by observing its behavior is not science; they are just assumptions,” says neurobiologist David J. Anderson of the California Institute of Technology, who studies emotion-linked behaviors in mice, fruit flies and jellyfish. Those who investigate emotions such as sadness and empathy in non-human creatures must refute the accusation that they anthropomorphize their study subjects.

https://www.ngenespanol.com/animales/como-funciona-la-cognicion-de-los-animales/