KQED's Forum

Rebroadcast: Animals Experience Complex Emotions, According to Primatologist

05.27.2019 - By KQEDPlay

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Download on the App StoreGet it on Google Play

Ask a pet owner if animals have emotions, writes primatologist Frans De Waal and they'll say, "of course!" But ask a University professor, and they'll squirm. While the leading theories in science only recognize basic emotions in animals such as anger, happiness and fear, De Waal argues that animals share all emotions with humans, including complex ones like hope, disappointment, guilt and empathy. De Waal joins Forum to discuss his decades of research on the behavior and social intelligence of primates and his new book, "Mama's Last Hug: Animal Emotions and What they Tell Us about Ourselves."

More episodes from KQED's Forum