Do animals have feelings?

Scientists believe that certain brain cells in humans called spindle cells are responsible for human social behavior and the interplay between thoughts and feelings. ... Although these are all animals that can act people-like, the presence of these cells does not mean that the animals have feelings. read more

When the public sees wild animals they feel lucky to see elephants, or they might go to Yellowstone and see wild wolves. Researchers spend decades watching these creatures and see individuals. Many researchers have names for the animals and recognize the different personalities. Some are bold; some are shy. read more

People often assign feelings to animals that zoo polar bear's vacant stare must mean he's sad, or the uh-oh expression a dog flashes after knocking over the garbage indicates shame. But scientists haven't determined whether these human-like expressions really mean anything. read more

Simply put, emotions have evolved as adaptations in numerous species. They serve as a social glue to bond animals with one another and also catalyze and regulate a wide variety of social encounters among friends and foes. Emotions permit animals to behave adaptively and flexibly, using various behavior patterns in a wide variety of venues. read more