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Environmental Enrichment Reduces Signs of Boredom in Caged Mink

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  • Rebecca K Meagher
  • Georgia J Mason

Abstract

Animals housed in impoverished cages are often labelled ‘bored’. They have also been called ‘apathetic’ or ‘depressed’, particularly when profoundly inactive. However, these terms are rarely operationally defined and validated. As a negative state caused by under-stimulation, boredom should increase interest in stimuli of all kinds. Apathy (lack of interest), by contrast, should manifest as decreased interest in all stimuli, while anhedonia (loss of pleasure, a depressive symptom) should specifically decrease interest in normally rewarding stimuli. We tested the hypotheses that mink, a model carnivore, experience more boredom, depression-like apathy, or anhedonia in non-enriched (NE) cages than in complex, enriched (E) cages. We exposed 29 subjects (13 E, 16 NE) to ten stimuli categorized a priori as aversive (e.g. air puffs), rewarding (e.g. evoking chasing) or ambiguous/neutral (e.g. candles). Interest in stimuli was assessed via latencies to contact, contact durations, and durations oriented to stimuli. NE mink contacted all stimuli faster (P = 0.003) than E mink, and spent longer oriented to/in contact with them, albeit only significantly so for ambiguous ones (treatment*type P

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  • Rebecca K Meagher & Georgia J Mason, 2012. "Environmental Enrichment Reduces Signs of Boredom in Caged Mink," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 7(11), pages 1-10, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0049180
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0049180
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    Cited by:

    1. Becca Franks & Charlene Chen & Katie Manley & E. Tory Higgins, 2016. "Effective Challenge Regulation Coincides with Promotion Focus-Related Success and Emotional Well-Being," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 17(3), pages 981-994, June.
    2. Yosuke Yawata & Yu Shikano & Jun Ogasawara & Kenichi Makino & Tetsuhiko Kashima & Keiko Ihara & Airi Yoshimoto & Shota Morikawa & Sho Yagishita & Kenji F. Tanaka & Yuji Ikegaya, 2023. "Mesolimbic dopamine release precedes actively sought aversive stimuli in mice," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-12, December.

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