Study reveals how rats show ‘boredom’ during repetitive tasks
Rats need mental stimulation to keep them engaged.
A study from the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) has examined the boredom-like behaviour that rats show during monotonous tasks.
Researchers aimed to develop upon research into animal boredom, by investigating how rats respond to doing a monotonous task in an enriching environment.
Previous findings had revealed that animals do become visibly bored in repetitive or under-stimulating environments. Signs of boredom included a fidgety restlessness and listless disengagement.
However, these findings were recorded from situations where animals were kept in barren enclosures, rather than during active tasks.
To investigate the impact of sensory monotony on the rats, the team planned to present them different versions of foraging activities. They also theorised that introducing different sights, smells and tastes would keep the rats mentally engaged.
The researchers would monitor the rats for signs of boredom, such as sensation-seeking, drowsy behaviour, or exit-directed actions.
The investigation saw 20 rats presented with two versions of a foraging task – one repetitive and one engaging. The rats searched bowls of different digging materials, such as pebbles and woodchips, for a food reward. The bowls were changed every two minutes during the 20 minute session.
In the monotony condition the reward flavour, digging material and other features were kept the same every time. However, the variety condition involved different flavours, digging materials and sensory features.
The rats’ behavioural responses were examined in a treatment-blind and randomised order.
The experiment revealed that the rats contacted the exit platform significantly more during the monotonous trials than the variety trials. Researchers say this proves that rats, like humans, need mental stimulation to keep them engaged in repetitive or prolonged activities.
However, the researchers did not note any differences in drowsiness, or any other recorded behaviours. This could be because the task did not last long enough to prompt the drowsiness associated with boredom.
Charlotte Burn, associate professor in animal welfare and behaviour science, said: “For anyone keeping rats or other animals, these findings are a reminder to offer interesting environments and opportunities for them.
“As long as animals have choice whether to engage with new things or not, they might really benefit from the chance to learn a rewarding task or to play with some safe and varied new toys. Variety is the spice of life, after all."
The full study can be found in the journal Animal Cognition.
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