Emotion

Emotion, Laughter & Humor

Let’s Go Tickle Some Rats: In Memory of Jaak Panksepp

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rat isolated on white background

Jaak Panksepp, a neuroscientist who studied the brain, behavior, and emotions, died this week, on April 18. Panksepp helped establish the idea that humans are not unique in possessing the neurological substrates that generate consciousness. He also made incredibly important contributions to our understanding of emotions—our own, those of other animals, and evolutionary continuity between the two.

In the popular press, Panksepp was most famous for his rat tickling experiments that pretty much proved rats laugh when happy and having fun, just like humans do.

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Death & Grieving, Emotion, Empathy & Consolation

Langur Monkeys Respond to “A Change in Environment” (aka Death)

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Scientists have found plenty of evidence suggesting that many animals have at least a basic understanding of death.  But there are a few species who seem to have a deeper understanding. These species respond to death in ways that aren’t all that different from the ways humans respond. When a companion, mate, or offspring is lost, they often gather, touch the body, and console one another in ritualized ways. Some will stop eating, stare into space, and withdraw from their group, or wail, howl, and act out.

Despite the many observations of mourning in the animal kingdom, some skeptics still assert that what appears to be grief may just be stress caused by a change in environment. But when a human loses a loved one, how do we describe them? We would say the bereaved was sad because she had lost someone she cared about. We would never describe that person as experiencing stress caused by a change in environment.

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