Animal Boredom: Understanding the Tedium of Confined Lives

Bestial boredom: a biological perspective on animal boredom and suggestions for its scientific investigation

“…Too often animal boredom has been dismissed as an anthropomorphic concept, or as a luxury compared with other more widely accepted welfare issues such as pain or stress (Wemelsfelder, 2005). However, given the intense distress that prolonged boredom can cause in humans, and the cognitive damage that under-stimulation can ultimately lead to, it is potentially a severe and highly prevalent animal welfare issue neglected too long.…”

“…Therefore, we cannot be certain that other individuals -human or otherwiseexperience it exactly as we ourselves do. The term 'Boredom' has historically been rather taboo in serious animal behaviour science, being labelled as 'anthropomorphic', or dismissed as trivial compared with some other welfare issues (Wemelsfelder, 2005). Moreover, boredom is sometimes assumed to be unique to humans (e.g.…”

“…For example, Alex, the African Grey parrot, was reportedly most likely to baulk at tasks in the 'bored' manner described above when tasks were repetitive or simpler than preceding tasks, or when rewards lacked novelty (Pepperberg, 2013). Either way, captive animals are often rendered passive recipients of stimulation, rather than having choice and control over their experiences and behavioural options (Wemelsfelder, 2005).…”

Environmental challenge and animal agency.

“…The passive, unvaried and sometimes rigid nature of behavior patterns that are, as discussed in the paragraph above, observed in captive animals, suggests this may not be the case. Wemelsfelder (2005) proposes that such characteristics, in their multifaceted complexity, reflect a chronic disruption of 'flow' in the organization of an animal's behaviour (cf. Csikszentmihalyi, 1992, see section 3.5), and with that a potential suppression, or even dismantling, of its agency (Fig.…”

“…However, the question is to what extent such assertions correspond with actual observed behavioural processes in captive animals. Wemelsfelder (2005), as discussed above, argues that a multifaceted range of behavioural symptoms in captive animals reflects chronic disruption of behavioural 'flow', and that, as such, this should not be regarded as a form of functional adaptation. Rather, in analogy with human behavioural organization, such symptoms may be considered indicative of chronic boredom and depression, or general psychological atrophy (cf.…”