Dog owners can tell when their pets are bored. They are aware of the satisfaction an animal experiences when carrying out something they learned earlier, even if it’s just coming to heel. Some dogs encourage their owners to engage in demanding activities that are sometimes difficult to even call fun. Thanks to their work, rescue dogs became heroes of the rescue operation during the earthquake in Turkey and Syria in 2023. It is not only thanks to the rewards received from their trainer that animals can perform difficult, complex, and often unnatural activities. Learning new skills and controlling one’s own behaviour, and therefore that of the environment, is associated with a level of satisfaction that is as rewarding as receiving treats and stroking.
This satisfaction is common to animals and humans. It is experienced by a child who takes his first steps, a tennis player who has mastered a new stroke, a poet who has found an apt metaphor, or a carpenter who has finished working on an exceptional piece of furniture. It was experienced by ancient hunters tracking game and gatherers storing food, farmers cultivating fields, and commanders leading troops into battle. Experiencing satisfaction from one’s own actions and their effect on reality is at least as immanent to our nature as satisfying hunger. Homo sapiens has achieved excellence through perfecting our own actions, as evidenced by the greatest works of art and achievements of science.
Hellbound and Down 