New research from the ¹ú²ú¸ßÇåavÍøÖ· reveals how boredom can manifest in animals
A new study from the ¹ú²ú¸ßÇåavÍøÖ· (¹ú²ú¸ßÇåavÍøÖ·) has revealed that sensory monotony can induce boredom-like behaviour in rats, as happens in humans. These findings could have implications for animal training, animal welfare, and for understanding what happens when humans get bored of doing the same task.
There is growing evidence that suggests animals, like humans, can become bored when faced with repetitive or under-stimulating environments. Signs of boredom in animals often appear as a mix of fidgety restlessness and listless disengagement. This has previously been determined through research in which animals are kept in barren enclosures with little to do, but animal boredom had not yet been researched during active tasks.
Therefore, the ¹ú²ú¸ßÇåavÍøÖ· team, led by Dr Charlotte Burn, Associate Professor in Animal Welfare and Behaviour Science, set out to investigate how signs of boredom may present while doing a monotonous task in a physically enriching environment.
To do this, the team investigated whether a lack of sensory variety during a foraging task would trigger boredom-like behaviour in rats – for example, restless sensation-seeking, such as exit-directed behaviour or jumping; and drowsy behaviour such as standing still, yawning, or task disengagement. Furthermore, the team wanted to see whether introducing variety, such as different sights, smells and tastes, might help keep the rats more mentally engaged.
The researchers tested 20 rats in two different versions of a foraging task – one repetitive and monotonous, the other rich in variety. The rats searched bowls for a food reward hidden within a digging material, such as clay pebbles, woodchips and pet sawdust. A new pair of bowls was presented every two minutes during a 20-minute session. In the monotony condition, the reward flavour, digging material and other features remained consistent each time, whereas the variety condition introduced new combinations of flavours, digging materials, and other sensory features. The nutritional and physical aspects of the two versions of the task did not differ, and behavioural responses were observed in a treatment-blind and randomised order.
The research revealed that rats contacted an exit platform significantly more in the monotonous scenario than in the varied version, as predicted. However, no significant differences were seen in drowsiness or the other behaviours recorded. There are several possible explanations for the lack of drowsiness, but the most significant is that the task might only have been long enough to provoke the early signs of wanting to be relieved of the monotony and not long enough for the rats to experience the drowsiness associated with ongoing boredom.
It is interesting that the rats showed less exit-directed behaviour when they experienced sensory variety because it highlights that animals, like humans, benefit from mental stimulation to help keep them engaged in repetitive or prolonged activities. These findings demonstrate the importance of providing a stimulating environment for our pets, including rats.
Dr Charlotte Burn, Associate Professor in Animal Welfare and Behaviour Science at the ¹ú²ú¸ßÇåavÍøÖ·, said:
“Rats enjoy foraging, but the findings confirmed to me the complexity of animal needs. They seek to escape monotony, suggesting that it compromises their wellbeing, similar to us in boring situations.
“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."
Mr Ka Ho Timothy Ng, who collected the behaviour data for his dissertation on the ¹ú²ú¸ßÇåavÍøÖ·’s BSc in Animal Biology, Behaviour, Welfare and Ethics, said:
“This research highlights that animal welfare isn’t just about physical health, but also about meeting their emotional and cognitive needs. It opens the door to rethinking how we care for animals, including dogs and cats, which may suffer from boredom because of repetitive behaviour training. Misinterpreting signs of boredom as disobedience can lead to unnecessary punishment, harming animal welfare.
“Findings like this may be important for veterinary professionals, particularly those in Behavioural Medicine. Recognising boredom as a potential cause of problematic behaviours may help prevent misdiagnoses, such as confusing boredom with anxiety that can present with similar clinical signs.”
Dr Matthew Parker, Associate Professor of Neuroscience and Behavioural Analysis at University of Surrey, who collaborated on the study, said:
“This study adds to a growing body of evidence suggesting that animals, like humans, are affected by sensory monotony, and that this can trigger behavioural signs of restlessness and disengagement. My team has previously found that in people, boredom is not just unpleasant, but can actually activate the stress systems in the brain, particularly in people that are more susceptible, like those who have impulsive or hyperactive behaviours, as examples.
“The fact that rats showed more escape-related behaviour in repetitive environments suggests a shared, evolutionarily conserved mechanism for avoiding monotony. Understanding how different species respond to boring environments can ultimately help us improve animal welfare, and perhaps even design better ways to keep animals and people engaged in repetitive or high-demand tasks.”
Notes to Editors
For more information about the ¹ú²ú¸ßÇåavÍøÖ·’s Animal Behaviour Clinic, visit: /small-animal-vet/specialist-referrals/clinical-services/animal-behaviour
Reference
Burn, C.C., Ng, K. & Parker, M.O. Rat boredom-like behaviour in a monotonous versus a varied foraging task: effects of sensory variation. Anim Cogn 28, 57 (2025).
The full paper can be accessed at:
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- The ¹ú²ú¸ßÇåavÍøÖ· (¹ú²ú¸ßÇåavÍøÖ·) is the UK's largest and longest established independent veterinary school and is a Member Institution of the University of London.
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