Document type: conceptual article published in Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews
Authors: Laura E. Webb, J. Elizabeth Bolhuis, Viktor Jurkovich, Allyson F. Ipema, Matteo Chincarini, Angélique Favreau-Peigné, Björn Forkman, Caroline Clouard, Frank Tuyttens, Heather Browning, Laura Menchetti, Margit Bak Jensen, Özkan Elmaz, Radka Šárová, Robert Głogowski, Sandra Düpjan, Stefania Celozzi, Walter Veit, Céline Tallet
Abstract in French (translation):
Balancing the Emotional Equilibrium of Animals – Can the methodology used to assess emotional equilibrium in humans be applied to other sentient species?
Assessing the well-being of sentient non-human animals is a multifaceted scientific undertaking. One approach derived from human psychology that appears promising for application to animals is that of affective balance, based on the idea that how we feel most of the time is determined by the balance between the distinct dimensions of positive and negative affect. Affective balance has been shown to be deeply linked to mental and physical health as well as to well-being in humans.
The objective of this conceptual article is to assess whether the affective balance methodology could serve as a useful integrative measure of the affective/hedonic component of animal well-being and to outline key considerations for its potential application. Given the diversity of methods used to study affective balance in humans, any attempt to adapt these methods to other species first requires identifying the key underlying principles.
We have identified four underlying principles: the first three concern the estimation of the frequencies of positive and negative affects over time, while the fourth focuses on the integration of positive and negative affects into a score or category of affective balance. We then discuss how the theory underlying the affective balance methodology can be applied to other species, as well as the theoretical and practical considerations related to the development and validation of potential assessment methods.
Overall, we believe this approach holds great potential for the science of animal well-being and encourage empirical studies on this topic.
Preview:
Assessing the welfare of non-human sentient animals is a multifaceted scientific endeavour. A human psychology approach that holds promise for application to animals is affect balance, based on the idea that how one feels most of the time is determined by the balance between the separate dimensions of positive and negative affect. Affect balance has been shown to have profound relationships with mental and physical health and well-being in humans.
The aim of this conceptual article is to evaluate whether the affect balance methodology might offer a useful integrative measure of the affective/hedonic component of animal welfare and to outline key considerations for its potential application. Due to the variation in human affect balance methods, any attempt to translate them to other species requires first extracting their main underlying principles.
We extracted four underlying principles, the first three relating to estimating the frequencies of positive and negative affect over time, and the fourth relating to the integration of positive and negative affect into an affect balance score or category. We then discuss how the theory behind the affect balance methodology can be translated to other species, and the theoretical and practical considerations in the development and validation of potential assessment methods.
Altogether, we think that this approach holds great potential for animal welfare science and we encourage empirical studies into this topic.
