[BeckyL]

I'm a bit undecided on this one. I certainly don't think that snakes feel the same way we do; however I believe that they absolutely are not "mindless". I believe that they feel fear and stress, at the very least. And I don't see how anybody can assert, 100% for certain, that snakes feel nothing. How on earth can we know that? Some of us have enough trouble reading and understanding the emotions of other people, never mind a snake.

As for other animals - I absolutely belive that mammals, particularly "higher mammals" feel emotion in a very similar way to us. Just my view though :2thumb:

 

[Jeffers3]

Does a snake express a preference for a certain food item? I know my bearded dragon does. In order to express a preference, it must "like" one thing and "dislike" another. It's hardly the most complex of emotions, but like and dislike are emotional responses.

 

[stuarttaylor37]

Oops! Don't tell my students - I'm always telling them off for doing that. Not much of a defence, but I did it quickly to answer your question. Did it achieve this?

Not really as I was asking you your opinion

 

[Jeffers3]

Not really as I was asking you your opinion

OK - in my opinion, emotions are largely built in and then reinforced by experience. They develop and become more complex with time, but they are innate. The article I quoted was something I had been reading whilst developing my thoughts on this. I have read several others that say much the same and also some that contradict the view.

The bit we haven't discussed much is the response to the emotional stimulus. This, I believe, is much more learned than innate, which is why young children find it difficult to "control their emotions". This expression is misplaced, as it's not the emotion that is controlled, but the response.

I think it is entirely feasible for even a snake to experience simple emotions. It is the processing of this information and the response that is really poorly developed.

Sorry again for the previous "quoted" response - I was simply trying to answer your question quickly and had the text to hand. I have more time now, so can consider it a bit more.

 

[Orangest77]

..
it's probably all explainable on a logical level, but i do wish people would stop saying full stop that snakes don't have some form of emotion (doesn't have to be anything like what we feel) when we have pretty good evidence that they can get annoyed and scared, at the very least...

well put mate

 

[alexwilliamsreptiles]

No, no they don't.

 

[Jeffers3]

No, no they don't.

Very eloquently put - I love your minimalist approach to argument. Most informative!:no1:

 

[nelly1]

Snakes are like me, Get angry, take the "P" every now and again but show no emotion:Na_Na_Na_Na:

 

[Jeffers3]

Snakes are like me, Get angry, take the "P" every now and again but show no emotion:Na_Na_Na_Na:

Maybe snakes are vulcan? They have emotions, but shut them out in favour of pure logic.

It's life, Jim - but not as we know it!

 

[longqi]

We use a significant number of snakes in our handling displays
Especially Chondros Burmese and Retics

I firmly believe that snakes simply dont care about any human emotions except anger
Fear has no impact on them
Joy/happiness about the same

But if someone who is in a bad mood wants to play with snakes
they often become agitated and try to move away [crawl off] that customer

 

[Gregg M]

Many people seem to confuse emotion with instinct... I can understand how it can be fuzzy sometimes...

Liking or disliking a certain taste would not qualify as an emotion... If your bearded dragon does not like a certain food it will spit it out... That is instinctive... Now if your bearded dragon spit it out and gave you the finger, that would be an emotional response... LOL...

Snakes do not "fear" things... A fear is irrational or rational depending on what it is... Snakes and reptiles are not rational or irrational beings... They are instinctive... They need to protect themselves and the first line of defense is "flight"... If they have a means of avoiding contact with a threat, they will flee... EVERY living animal has this instinctive response... Everything from insects to humans...

Snakes do not get angry... When a snake postures, strikes, and or bites (usually in that order), this is their second line of defense... This is the other part of the "flight" instinct called "fight"... This is not driven by anger or emotion... It is a survival mechanism built into just about every live creature on earth...

Snakes also do not feel "stress" in human terms... Their bodies react to chemical messages due to a disruptions in their environment like improper husbandry issues like heat, humidity, prey, and so on... These are not emotional reactions to situations...

It is pretty obvious that they are not emotionally driven animals... Nothing they do has any complex thought or emotion attached to it...

 

[Ssthisto]

Now if your bearded dragon spit it out and gave you the finger, that would be an emotional response... LOL...

See, I'd see spitting it out and giving you the finger as a *reasoned* response (albeit poorly reasoned!), not an *emotional* one - "You gave me this horrible stuff, have this!"

I see it as: the emotion is the disgust/anger/fear/curiosity/love/jealousy/etc you feel, not how you react to that feeling.

Their bodies react to chemical messages due to a disruptions in their environment like improper husbandry issues like heat, humidity, prey, and so on... These are not emotional reactions to situations...

But our emotions are nothing but chemical reactions in our brain to certain situations....

Darn it, I really wish I had "Animals in Translation" back.

It is pretty obvious that they are not emotionally driven animals... Nothing they do has any complex thought or emotion attached to it...

I'd say they're entirely emotionally driven BECAUSE they have no complex thought, because thought and emotion are... well, although they're not mutually exclusive they're definitely not the same thing nor are they all that often found standing side by side.

 

[Gregg M]

See, I'd see spitting it out and giving you the finger as a *reasoned* response (albeit poorly reasoned!), not an *emotional* one - "You gave me this horrible stuff, have this!"

I disagree... In nature, if something does not taste right, it is most likely not good to eat... Spitting out something that does not taste proper is an instictive survival mechanism...

But our emotions are nothing but chemical reactions in our brain to certain situations....

Yes, chemical reaction in the parts of our brain that reptiles completely lack...
If you lose your job, you get stressed... Its not the actual part of not going to work that makes you stressed... reason you get stressed is because of you rational complex thinking... You worry about how bills will be paid and how you will eat and feed your family... Then you become emotional and feel anger and sadness... These are things reptiles can never feel...

I'd say they're entirely emotionally driven BECAUSE they have no complex thought, because thought and emotion are... well, although they're not mutually exclusive they're definitely not the same thing nor are they all that often found standing side by side.

Emotions are connected to complex thoughts... The thoughts may be irrational when emotions are involved at times, but they are still complex...

To me this subject is only clouded because of peoples interpretation of the word "emotion" and their need to "bond" with their pets...

Its like religions of all kinds from Cristianity to Muslim... If you take it literally, you are clouded and blinded... If you look at it from a scientific veiw, you will see the truth... It was invented by man a few thousand years ago to control people...