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ClassicAus

- 2 years ago

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Can animals feel guilt?

Just thinking about some emotions. I can't think of an example of an animal feeling guilty at the moment. I'm leaning towards no. I think they feel embarrassment, nervousness, happiness, affection, jealousy, but guilt?

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No. They can't. They know when they're in trouble and know when they've lost approval and are in trouble... but they don't feel guilt.

I would cast a separation between actual guilt (regretting the action) and simple fear of consequence/punishement. I think of all the videos I've seen of dogs that have trashed the house, sitting in the middle of their mess looking so guilty.

But are they reacting to the feeling of having done something wrong . . . or simply taking their non-verbal cues from their human's sudden change in behaviour that says they are NOT amused?

With training I know my dog in time came to alter behaviours I didn' t desire in him (chasing cats, skunks, rolling in filth). But was there conscience and guilt . . . or simply conditioning based on reactions to my reactions??

I know my dog feels guilty at times, only when someone yells are her though. Then she sucks up, guiltily of course. My cats definitely don't feel guilt. They're either pleased or pissed.

you are confusing guilt with submission. the dog acts like that because he knows you might beat him unless he relents that you are his master.

Yes. We're animals and we feels those emotions. We feel guilt. I get mad when people try to separate "animals" from "humans" like we're two different things. We aren't. What humans feel, other animals probably feel too.

Anyways, my answer is. Animals feel guilt, humans included.

It all seems to hedge on the animals understanding of right and wrong, they can only be busted and feel guilt if they have done the wrong thing according to household rules which they have learnt through discipline. Thats why I like banananuts story because it sounds like instinct-centred guilt

I don't think animals feel any human emotions. We anthropomorphize them a lot, because it's fun to think of them feeling what we feel, but they probably don't feel anything like guilt, embarrassment or even happiness as we know it. They likely have their own kinds of emotions.

thinking out loud, then part of it is an animal reflecting on what has occurred and feeling bad about it after the fact and it has to be a reaction demonstrated through body language, that signals it is more guilt than apprehension of punishment.
Or @banananutpancake is this just the way, dogs manipulate us into sympathy, forgiveness in maintenance of relationship and continuation of the food bowl being filled

Oh yeah...they feel guilt.. Just catch them doing something they know they aren't suppose to be doing.. It's hard not to laugh at that look of guilt.

once our 90 pound dalmation was roughhousing with our teen girls... they all enjoyed it greatly. velma [the dalmation] put her mouth over a hand and applied a little pressure. a knuckle popped. all action ceased immediately and velma gingerly let go of the hand and licked it, looking very guilty. she had to be made over for a while before she came out of the doldrums about 'hurting' her girl.

Yes you should have seen the look on my dogs face when he took a dump downstairs , He couldn't look me in the eye. My cat walked right in front of me once and took a pee right on our fireplace and looked me strait in the eye .

@bluecrayon Yeah I suppose dogs often appear guilty for making you upset, hence they go off tail down sulking etc. Cats brush it aside and lick their paws, wait for you to forget.

I think dogs feel guilty, but cats--never.

There was a donkey put on trial during the inquisition for having sex with a monk - they put it in the court room the whole works.
they decided by its body language that it had not initiated the relationship - and in fact had resisted enough to make it rape.
so they let the donkey go and hanged the monk.

I've seen a cat looking guilty...
Oh yes...
I came in to the lounge, and it saw me seeing that the chocolate biscuit on the coffee table had moved and had some strange lick marks on it...tried to run...

so I let the biscuit go and hanged the cat...

Yes. I have seen it. My friends dog, knows when she is bad, and I know it is not for fear of punishment, because we just talk to her when she is bad, and maybe put her outside.

@ClassicAus

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SoulPancake

ClassicAus

Can animals feel guilt?

WarpedGlass1

No. They can't. They know when they're in trouble and know when they've lost approval and are in trouble... but they don't feel guilt.

Griz

Raacheel

I know my dog feels guilty at times, only when someone yells are her though. Then she sucks up, guiltily of course. My cats definitely don't feel guilt. They're either pleased or pissed.

aduesapaereomni

you are confusing guilt with submission. the dog acts like that because he knows you might beat him unless he relents that you are his master.

silkwovenfur

Yes. We're animals and we feels those emotions. We feel guilt. I get mad when people try to separate "animals" from "humans" like we're two different things. We aren't. What humans feel, other animals probably feel too.

Anyways, my answer is. Animals feel guilt, humans included.

ClassicAus

It all seems to hedge on the animals understanding of right and wrong, they can only be busted and feel guilt if they have done the wrong thing according to household rules which they have learnt through discipline. Thats why I like banananuts story because it sounds like instinct-centred guilt

thundercake

I don't think animals feel any human emotions. We anthropomorphize them a lot, because it's fun to think of them feeling what we feel, but they probably don't feel anything like guilt, embarrassment or even happiness as we know it. They likely have their own kinds of emotions.

ClassicAus

SeekerOfPeace

Oh yeah...they feel guilt.. Just catch them doing something they know they aren't suppose to be doing.. It's hard not to laugh at that look of guilt.

banananutpancake

Jawajim

Yes you should have seen the look on my dogs face when he took a dump downstairs , He couldn't look me in the eye. My cat walked right in front of me once and took a pee right on our fireplace and looked me strait in the eye .

ClassicAus

@bluecrayon Yeah I suppose dogs often appear guilty for making you upset, hence they go off tail down sulking etc. Cats brush it aside and lick their paws, wait for you to forget.

BlueCrayon

I think dogs feel guilty, but cats--never.

flashbanding

Wolfson

Yes. I have seen it. My friends dog, knows when she is bad, and I know it is not for fear of punishment, because we just talk to her when she is bad, and maybe put her outside.

Can animals feel guilt?

No. They can't. They know when they're in trouble and know when they've lost approval and are in trouble... but they don't feel guilt.

I know my dog feels guilty at times, only when someone yells are her though. Then she sucks up, guiltily of course. My cats definitely don't feel guilt. They're either pleased or pissed.

you are confusing guilt with submission. the dog acts like that because he knows you might beat him unless he relents that you are his master.

Yes. We're animals and we feels those emotions. We feel guilt. I get mad when people try to separate "animals" from "humans" like we're two different things. We aren't. What humans feel, other animals probably feel too.Anyways, my answer is. Animals feel guilt, humans included.

It all seems to hedge on the animals understanding of right and wrong, they can only be busted and feel guilt if they have done the wrong thing according to household rules which they have learnt through discipline. Thats why I like banananuts story because it sounds like instinct-centred guilt

I don't think animals feel any human emotions. We anthropomorphize them a lot, because it's fun to think of them feeling what we feel, but they probably don't feel anything like guilt, embarrassment or even happiness as we know it. They likely have their own kinds of emotions.

Oh yeah...they feel guilt.. Just catch them doing something they know they aren't suppose to be doing.. It's hard not to laugh at that look of guilt.

Yes you should have seen the look on my dogs face when he took a dump downstairs , He couldn't look me in the eye. My cat walked right in front of me once and took a pee right on our fireplace and looked me strait in the eye .

@bluecrayon Yeah I suppose dogs often appear guilty for making you upset, hence they go off tail down sulking etc. Cats brush it aside and lick their paws, wait for you to forget.

I think dogs feel guilty, but cats--never.

Yes. I have seen it. My friends dog, knows when she is bad, and I know it is not for fear of punishment, because we just talk to her when she is bad, and maybe put her outside.

What's Next?

Yes. We're animals and we feels those emotions. We feel guilt. I get mad when people try to separate "animals" from "humans" like we're two different things. We aren't. What humans feel, other animals probably feel too.

Anyways, my answer is. Animals feel guilt, humans included.