When the Job is Done: Exhaustion or Elation? A Pilot Study on the Effects of Cognitive and Physical Effort on the Behavior of Minipigs

Long-term affective states such as mood may best reflect the welfare of an animal. They are likely to depend on how the animal assesses the outcomes of its own behavioral actions. These post-consummatory states are often of low arousal and, accordingly, difficult to observe. Here, we investigated whether the behavior of minipigs shown during the hour following an experimental session differed between a cognitive and physical task. We assumed that differences would allow us to see how the animals assessed the tasks after completing them. The minipigs increased resting, feeding, and drinking behavior after the physical task compared to the cognitive task, indicating the need to make up for energy spent. In addition, foraging was reduced after the cognitive task compared with a control day, whereas non-food-related exploration remained on a similar level. This change in behavior might be interpreted as "leisure." Overall, the approach used seems promising to assess how much an animal likes the outcome of its behavior. These situations in turn cumulatively make up longer-term mood states and are, correspondingly, relevant for the long-term welfare state of animals.