S OMETIME ago William McDougall 1 advanced a theory of introversion and extroversion which made these traits of personality dependent upon the speed and ease with which the nervous impulses circulate over the nervous paths, especially in the higher nervous centers, of different individuals. If the personality is introverted, the impulses travel more easily than if the personality is extroverted. He suggested an objective test for allocating individuals on the introversion-extroversion continuum. The ease with which the nerve impulses travel, he thought, could be measured by the rate of fluctuation of an ambiguous figure, such as his windmill or the Necker-Wheatstone cube. The more introverted the individual, the more rapid would be the rate of fluctuation. The results from three subjects who were used in one of his studies seemed to bear out his theory.Very recently McDougall 2 has reiterated his essential thesis and has amplified the theory in the light of newer knowledge of nerve physiology and of endocrinology. He takes it to be fairly well established that the activity of the cerebral cortex largely inhibits that of the lower centers. He points out that individuals tend to become more introverted with advancing age. Animals higher in the phylogenetic scale also tend to be more introverted. Because of these considerations, he believes that introversion is a fundamental property of the nervous system which parallels the growing dominance of the cortex. But nature has set against this trend a compensating factor which is probably in the form of a secretion among the endocrines. This is suggested by the fact that certain drugs such as alcohol, ether, and chloroform apparently increase the extroversion of the individual. This unknown secretion, which McDougall calls "secretion (X)", has the
Background Considering animals as individuals and not as species is becoming increasingly essential to animal welfare management in captive settings. Recent studies on big cat personalities and coping strategies suggest personality can help big cats cope in their surroundings. Yet a large portion of the published literature focuses on understanding either the personality or stress physiology of big cats. Our research shows how integrating an improved understanding of the personality of big cats with stress physiology may enhance welfare, especially for endangered species like African lions. By using a wild cat personality checklist, this study compared the key personality dimensions of 22 African lions with its faecal glucocorticoids and assessed factors influencing their personality and stress physiology. Results We found two reliable personality dimensions for African lions (dominance and agreeableness) and identified key factors (sex, age and location) that may influence their personality. Further, on testing if these factors influenced the stress physiology through variations in glucocorticoid levels, there was no significant difference. However, there was a strong negative association between agreeableness and glucocorticoid levels. These results suggest that the behavioural traits loading positively and higher for agreeableness are associated with lower glucocorticoid stress levels, which may assist a lion to cope with stressors in its surroundings. Conclusions Our findings highlight this integrated approach of linking personality and stress physiology of big cats can be beneficial for caretakers. For example, during stressful veterinary procedures or in reintroduction programs, recognizing the personality of lions can help in designing or providing them with resources that will alleviate stress. Thus, there is a need for more interdisciplinary approaches that will contribute towards enhancing the individual and overall welfare of big cats.
Background: Considering animals as individuals and not as species is becoming increasingly essential to animal welfare management. Recent studies on big cat personalities and coping strategies suggest personality can help big cats cope in their surroundings. Yet, a large portion of the published literature focuses on understanding either the personality or stress physiology of big cats in isolation. Our research shows how integrating an improved understanding of the personality of big cats with stress physiology may enhance welfare, especially endangered species like African lions. By using a wild cat personality checklist, this study compared African lion personality with its faecal stress glucocorticoids non-invasively. Results: We identified three personality types for individual African lions (Dominance, Agreeableness and Neuroticism) and examined whether these dimensions varied with stress cortisol levels. When controlling for differences in age across lions, we found a strong negative correlation between Agreeableness in lions and their glucocorticoid levels. This suggests that the personality of a lion may help it cope with its surroundings. Conclusions: Our findings can assist with the better management of big cats and it is proposed that ex-situ managers of zoos and rescue centres incorporate the personality data of their animals into the Zoological Information Management Software (ZIMS). This data can be accessed globally and can be useful for caretakers managing their animals according to their needs while undergoing veterinary procedures or in reintroduction programs. Thus, by improving individual welfare, we can improve overall welfare of big cats.
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