{"id":152,"date":"2022-03-24T14:31:55","date_gmt":"2022-03-24T18:31:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/news\/?p=152"},"modified":"2023-09-07T16:38:38","modified_gmt":"2023-09-07T20:38:38","slug":"do-octopuses-squid-and-crabs-have-emotions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/news\/2022\/03\/24\/do-octopuses-squid-and-crabs-have-emotions\/","title":{"rendered":"Do octopuses, squid and crabs have emotions?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"bsf_rt_marker\"><\/div>\n<p><strong>TORONTO, March 24, 2022<\/strong>&nbsp;\u2013 Octopuses can solve complex puzzles and show a preference for different individuals, but whether they, and other animals and invertebrates, have emotions is being hotly debated and could shake up humans\u2019 moral decision-making, says a York University expert in animal minds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Most countries don\u2019t recognize invertebrates, such as octopuses, crabs, lobsters and crayfish, as sentient beings that can feel pain, but the United Kingdom is considering amendments to its animal welfare legislation that would recognize this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cA London School of Economics (LSE) report commissioned by the U.K. government found there is strong enough evidence to conclude that decapod crustaceans and cephalopod molluscs are sentient,\u201d says York University Professor and philosopher&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/news.yorku.ca\/experts\/?name_or_keyword=kristin+andrews&amp;research_area=&amp;submit=Search+the+Guide&amp;search=Y\">Kristin Andrews<\/a>, the York Research Chair in Animal Minds, who is working with the LSE team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignleft\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/news.yorku.ca\/files\/Kristin-Andrews.jpg?x37148\" alt=\"headshot of Prof Kristin Andrews\" class=\"wp-image-16991\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Andrews co-wrote an article published today in the journal&nbsp;<em>Science<\/em>, \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.science.org\/doi\/10.1126\/science.abo2378\">The question of animal emotions<\/a>,\u201d with Professor Frans de Waal, director of the Living Links Center at Emory University, which discusses the ethical and policy issues around animals being considered sentient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Andrews points out it has long been thought in Western culture that other animals don\u2019t feel pain or have emotions. \u201cIt\u2019s been a real struggle even to get fish and mammals recognized under welfare law as sentient. So, it\u2019s pretty cutting-edge what seems to be happening in the U.K. with invertebrates.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Pre-verbal human babies were considered not to feel pain up until at least the 1980s. It is still thought by many that animals, including invertebrates, don\u2019t feel pain and only have unconscious reactions to negative stimuli. However, research on mammals, fish, octopuses, and to a lesser extent crabs, has shown they avoid pain and dangerous locations, and there are signs of empathy in some animals, such as cows \u2013 they become distressed when they see their calf in pain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Recognizing the sentience of invertebrates opens a moral and ethical dilemma. Humans can say what they feel, but animals don\u2019t have the same tools for describing their emotions. &nbsp;\u201cHowever, the research so far strongly suggests their existence,\u201d says Andrews, is working on a research project called Animals and Moral Practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhen we\u2019re going about our normal lives, we try not to do harm to other beings. So, it\u2019s really about retraining the way we see the world. How exactly to treat other animals remains an open research question,\u201d says Andrews. \u201cWe don\u2019t have sufficient science right now to know exactly what the proper treatment of certain species should be. To determine that, we need greater co-operation between scientists and ethicists.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There may be a point when humans can no longer assume that crayfish, shrimp, and other invertebrates don\u2019t feel pain and other emotions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIf they can no longer be considered immune to felt pain, invertebrate experiences will need to become part of our species\u2019 moral landscape,\u201d she says. \u201cBut pain is just one morally relevant emotion. Invertebrates such as octopuses may experience other emotions such as curiosity in exploration, affection for individuals, or excitement in anticipation of a future reward.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It may be time to look at our world differently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>-30-<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/\"><em>York University<\/em><\/a><em>&nbsp;is a modern, multi-campus, urban university located in Toronto, Ontario. Backed by a diverse group of students, faculty, staff, alumni and partners, we bring a uniquely global perspective to help solve societal challenges, drive positive change and prepare our students for success. York's fully bilingual Glendon Campus is home to Southern Ontario's Centre of Excellence for French Language and Bilingual Postsecondary Education. York\u2019s campuses in Costa Rica and India offer students exceptional transnational learning opportunities and innovative programs. Together, we can make things right for our communities, our planet, and our future.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Media Contact:<\/strong><br>Sandra McLean, York University Media Relations, 416-272-6317,&nbsp;<a href=\"mailto:sandramc@yorku.ca\">sandramc@yorku.ca<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>TORONTO, March 24, 2022&nbsp;\u2013 Octopuses can solve complex puzzles and show a preference for different individuals, but whether they, and other animals and invertebrates, have emotions is being hotly debated and could shake up humans\u2019 moral decision-making, says a York University expert in animal minds. Most countries don\u2019t recognize invertebrates, such as octopuses, crabs, lobsters [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":389,"featured_media":200,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,339,401],"tags":[],"qualifier":[],"news-author":[],"class_list":["post-152","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-home-featured","category-media-releases","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Do octopuses, squid and crabs have emotions? - News@York<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/news\/2022\/03\/24\/do-octopuses-squid-and-crabs-have-emotions\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Do octopuses, squid and crabs have emotions? - News@York\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"TORONTO, March 24, 2022&nbsp;\u2013 Octopuses can solve complex puzzles and show a preference for different individuals, but whether they, and other animals and invertebrates, have emotions is being hotly debated and could shake up humans\u2019 moral decision-making, says a York University expert in animal minds. 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