Bridging human and animal personality: A behavioral test to assess reward sensitivity

Title (eng)
Bridging human and animal personality: A behavioral test to assess reward sensitivity
Author
Susana C.M. Ferreira
Author
Fabiana De Angelis
Author
Sarah Ambruosi
Author
Giulia Ferroni
Author
Matteo Chincarini
Author
Charlotte Goursot
Abstract (eng)
Accounting for individual differences in depression or resilience is crucial to ensure individualized well-being. Differences in tendencies to approach rewards and avoid threats reflect personality and help to understand what animals want and like. At the neural level, these tendencies involve the behavioral activation system (BAS) and the behavioral inhibition system (BIS). We developed a test to investigate reactions to rewards and approach-avoidance conflicts using the domestic pig as a model. After testing 101 piglets, we showed that this test is reproducible, highly repeatable, and linked with classic personality dimensions assessed with four established personality tests. We report on individual tendencies related to approach-avoidance conflicts (BIS) and reward responsiveness (BAS), which are connected to specific personality traits. These findings address the gap between human and non-human animal personality research. Our study explores individual differences in perceived rewards, which have strong implications in promoting positive animal welfare and mental health.
Keywords (eng)
Animal ScienceSocial SciencesPsychology
Type (eng)
journal article
Language
[eng]
Persistent identifier
https://phaidra.vetmeduni.ac.at/o:5007
DOI
10.1016/j.isci.2025.113487
Is in series
Title (eng)
iScience
Volume
28
Issue
10
ISSN
2589-0042
Issued
2025
Number of pages
16
Publication
Elsevier
Version type (eng)
version of record (published version)
Date issued
2025
Access rights (eng)
open access
License
CC BY 4.0 International
Rights statement (eng)
© 2025 The Author(s)