Some pigs lend lo be optimistic  while others have a  more pessimisitic   view , according to a new research that is meaningful  to  animal welfare. The study, published in the journal Biology Letters, is the first to show that mood and personality interact in an animal, influencing judgment. Asher, a researcher  at ihc University of Newcastle's   Institute  of Neurowcience, and her team housed groups of pigs in the two types of environments. One reflected sandard commercial conditions  and the other was _ with more space and plenty of sell, deep straw. After the pigs got  accusitomed  to these new homes over a few weeks , the rescarchers picked 18 pigs from  each type of   housing arrangement to train and test their judgment. " To do this, we trained each pig that in one comer of a  training room there would be a bowl wilh chocolate sweets -- specifically M&Ms, pigs love M&Ms -- and in a bowl at the opposite   side of the room there would be a bowl that would contain coffee beans, which pigs find  bitter-tasting," senior author Lisa  Collins of the  Univerersty  of Lincoln's  School of Life Sciences said. Over n number  of training trials , pigs  leamed to go to the bowl reliably when it  was in the  corner   where they had figured out to expect M&Ms.On the  contrary,they quickly leamed to avoid   the  bowl when it was't in the comer where they would expect to find the coffee beans. The  rescearchers   next  placed an unfamimliar bowl  in different locations , to see how the  pigs would react. Some gaily dashed to the bowl no matter what, exhibiting optimism    that it  would contain  there  favorite sweds. Others, however, behaved as though they expected it to contain coffee beans, displaying pessimism. The  findings  suggest  that  a one -- size- fits - all answer to animal welfare issues does not exist. Even if pigs are just equal lo bacon or other meal for some people, there is still cause for conccrn . Student  have suggested  that  how an animal is  trented during is lifetime   can  directly affect meal quality and taste. Which bowl can test whether a pig is optimistic or pessimistic?
The bowl with chocolate sweets. The bowl containing coffee beans. The bowl full of both sweets and beans. The bowl unfamiliar to two types of pigs.