Do Plants Feel Pain? Things to Consider

You may have wondered, “Do plants feel pain?” It’s an interesting question to consider.

Do plants feel pain?

The simple answer is that, currently, no one is sure whether plants can feel pain. We do know that they can feel sensations. Studies show that plants can respond to a touch as light as a caterpillar’s footsteps. But pain, specifically, is a defense mechanism. When humans experience pain, we react instinctively, as do other animals. But do plants have that ability? Do they have a biological reason to feel pain? We just don’t know.

It’s possible that plants have intelligence and sentience that we cannot yet detect. One day, we might learn that plants have ways of experiencing pain that we have yet to comprehend.

But we are certain that animals can, and do, feel excruciating pain.

Not only that, our fellow animals have personalities and are capable of feeling joy, fear, and curiosity. Did you know that:

Chickens are self-aware, have complex relationships, and empathy for one another, just as humans do. They, too, form strong family ties and mourn when they lose a loved one. When hens are not confined to egg or meat farms, they’ll lovingly tend to and talk to their chicks, who chirp back, while still in the shell.

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Bigotry begins when categories such as race, age, gender, disability, sexual orientation, or species are used to justify discrimination.

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Like chickens, turkeys are devoted mothers who take meticulous care of their young. Mother turkeys will courageously defend their babies, or poults, against predators. When poults need warmth and comfort, a mother turkey will open her wings so that her babies can huddle underneath. When turkeys wake up in the morning, one turkey will start a series of soft yelps, much like a roll call, to make sure the rest of the group is safe and accounted for.

Pigs like to snuggle close to one another and prefer to sleep nose to nose. They often dream, much as humans do. And also like humans, pigs enjoy listening to music, playing with soccer balls, and getting massages.

Cows are sensitive individuals who shed tears when they lose a loved one. They have distinct personalities—some are bold and adventurous, and others are shy and timid. Many cows are friendly and considerate, but others may be bossy and mischievous.

Fish are fascinating individuals who can use tools, recognize their “shoal mates,” and gather information by eavesdropping on others.

We all have to eat, but we don’t have to imprison, kill, and eat birds, pigs, cows, fish, or other animals. Eating plants directly—rather than feeding them to animals and then killing those animals for their flesh—uses far fewer plants and doesn’t hurt our fellow animals, who, as we know for sure, feel pain. So, even if you’re concerned about plants’ feelings, being vegan is your best option.

You do the math.

Feeding massive amounts of grain and water to animals and then killing them, cutting their bodies apart, and transporting and storing their flesh is inhumane and environmentally devastating. Growing crops to feed animals on farms requires demolishing entire forests, which would absorb greenhouse gases. Talk about not being plant-friendly.

Being vegan helps us humans, too. You know all those plants that we feed to animals on farms? If we fed them directly to humans instead, we could end human starvation worldwide. We already grow enough grain to feed billions of humans, but we give about three-quarters of it to farmed animals … and then kill them.

For the Love of Plants, Go Vegan

If you’re truly concerned about plants, please go vegan to spare animals and plants. We can’t stop all the suffering in the world, but we should work to stop as much as we can. Being vegan is the best thing we can do for our health, our fellow animals, and the environment (plants included).