Social play behaviour is a highly energetic and rewarding activity that is of great importance
for the development of brain and behaviour. Social play is abundant during the juvenile and …

Play is of vital importance for the healthy development of children. From a developmental
perspective, play offers ample physical, emotional, cognitive, and social benefits. It allows …

The rise in the demand for animal products due to demographic and dietary changes has
exacerbated difficulties in addressing societal concerns related to the environment, human …

Highlights•Ball rolling by bumble bees fulfils animal play criteria.•Ball rolling can act as an
unconditioned rewarding stimulus.•Younger bees rolled more balls, with age patterns …

Contemporary animal welfare thinking is increasingly emphasising the promotion of positive
states. There is a need for existing assessment frameworks to accommodate this shift in …

Simple Summary The Five Freedoms were formulated in the early 1990s and are now well
recognised as highly influential in the animal welfare arena. However, a marked increase in …

In the young of many mammalian species, including humans, a vigorous and highly
rewarding social activity is abundantly expressed, known as social play behaviour. Social …

What role does playful behaviour and playful thought take in animal and human
development? How does play relate to creativity and, in turn, to innovation? Unravelling the …

Simple Summary Maintaining a high standard of animal welfare is essential in zoos, and
methods of animal welfare assessment should aim to evaluate positive as well as negative …

Play is commonly used to assess affective states in both humans and non-human animals.
Play appears to be most common when animals are well-fed and not under any direct …