Study Challenges Idea of Fairness in Animals

UC Berkeley research finds animal reactions to unequal rewards stem from unmet expectations, not fairness aversion.

A meta-analysis of 23 studies involving 18 species found no strong evidence of fairness aversion in animals.
The research analyzed over 60,000 observations and used a new metric to assess inequity aversion.
Animal behaviors, such as rejecting unequal rewards, were attributed to unmet expectations rather than jealousy.
Humans' sense of fairness is tied to complex social and cultural evolution, making it distinct from animals.
The findings challenge long-held interpretations of animal behavior in studies on inequity aversion.