Psychological Well‐Being

Abstract

An amendment to the Animal Welfare Act in 1991 required facilities to provide an environment adequate to promote the psychological well‐being of the nonhuman primates under their care. Definitions of psychological well‐being typically include both behavioral and physiological measures. Changes in the physical environment (enrichments) are then assessed to determine that the following goals are achieved: the enrichment is used, species‐typical behavior is increased, abnormal behavior is reduced, and stress/distress is alleviated. Many changes to the physical environment are associated with increased attention and species‐typical behavior, but not all result in a decrease in abnormal behavior or stress. Issues include rapid habituation to some forms of physical enrichment and wide individual variation in responsiveness. Social housing is most effective in achieving the above goals.