Do insects feel emotion?

[Misiziri]

Opinions on this?

Personally, I think they don't really feel emotions, but simply reactions in the brain that tell them do something. Hard to explain, I know that's pretty similar to feeling emotions, but... oh, jeez, it's so hard to explain I think they feel pain, though.

[Baya]

They don't feel emotion. Their brains are programmed solely on binary instinct. However, larger animals like hamsters and even birds have been known to be sad, or happy or depressed. Dogs definitely have emotion and so do cats.

[Misiziri]

^ My feelings exactly.

[FlipMode]

LoL I always thought they did since they have endorphins (though ants apparently do not)

[Woeler]

no, they don't. Only mammals feel/can express emotions. Why? Because the brains of insects are not that complex, the only contain basic instincts like eat, move and sleep. Insects, reptiles and Fish can not remember events that happened in the past. Mammals however do have complex brains, they can remember events in the past, also mammals are the only animals that dream while they are asleep.

it is because we recognize our environment, families and events, we feel emotion because we understand what is going on.

[FlipMode]

Oh my bad I got spiders confused as insects, when they are in fact arachnids. Based on that, I withdraw my previous statement, and say insects do not feel emotion.

[AdAstrα]

I wouldn't think they can.

[Annie]

I don't think they have happy, sad and scared...but I do think they have self preservation. Other wise they wouldn't run from a fly swatter.

[Misiziri]

[quote="woeler1"]no, they don't. Only mammals feel/can express emotions. Why? Because the brains of insects are not that complex, the only contain basic instincts like eat, move and sleep. Insects, reptiles and Fish can not remember events that happened in the past. Mammals however do have complex brains, they can remember events in the past, also mammals are the only animals that dream while they are asleep.

it is because we recognize our environment, families and events, we feel emotion because we understand what is going on.[/quote]

Reptiles? Wrong. I don't think they can feel anything complex, but I know at least some species can feel emotion. Perhaps not the little tiny ones, but a Komodo dragon can, and reptiles similar to it.