The Seven Core Emotions

SEEKING: Sapphire is still curious at age 34

All mammals share the same 7 core emotions. They are written in capital letters because they have specific scientific meanings based on the part the brain activated and the chemicals produced. Positive emotions are SEEKING (curiosity), CARE (bonding), PLAY, and LUST. Negative emotions are FEAR, RAGE, and GRIEF. GRIEF is the emotion evoked when a foal is weaned early and his desperate cries do not bring mama's reassuring presence. This is a significant contributor to adult anxiety, in particular separation anxiety. There is debate about whether horses also experience more complex emotions. Many people have reported seeing jealousy. What about pride? Regret? Resentment? Gratitude? Topics for future posts.

CARE: Mutual grooming signifies a close bond

Watching emotions gives us important information. Positive emotions are associated with confidence, cooperation, and learning. Negative emotions are warnings that something is wrong. More time spent in positive emotional states makes horses healthier, more cooperative, and more reliable. When I’m with a horse, his emotional state is always on my radar.

CARE: Horses also bond with people

Social connections are very important to horses, and the CARE bond often includes people they trust. Brandy has left her grazing to come visit me, a sign of our connection.

PLAY: Holding the hoop was Bronzz's idea

I did not teach Bronzz to pick up the hoop. This was a spontaneous action. He has made me laugh, which he knows is a good thing. PLAY is not distinguished by the activity, but by a feeling of joy.

Resources:
This article briefly describes The 7 Core Emotions We All Share
For more in-depth information, I highly recommend Rachel Bedingfield’s video series on how the core emotions apply specifically to horses. Core Emotions Video Series

References: “Connection Training” by Hannah Weston and Rachel Bedingfield
The science of emotions: Jaak
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65e2qScV_K8
Discover Interview: Jaak Panksepp Pinned Down Humanity's 7 Primal Emotions By Pamela Weintraub May 30, 2012
https://www.discovermagazine.com/mind/discover-interview-jaak-panksepp-pinned-down-humanitys-7-primal-emotions
“The Motivated Brain: Improving Student Engagement, Attention and Perseverance” by Gayle Gregory and Martha Kaufeldt,
https://asdn.org/wp-content/uploads/1-Motivated-Brain-Excerpt-pgs.pdf
Affective neuroscience of the emotional BrainMind: evolutionary perspectives and implications for understanding depression by Jaak Panksepp, PhD
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3181986/
Jaak Panksepp's Neuroscience Of Emotional Processing
https://www.owenparachute.com/jaak-panksepp-neuroscience.html