Do Plants Feel Pain?

Have you ever wondered if plants feel pain? When you trim a hedge, prune an orchard, or uproot carrots or onions, does it cause pain? When farmers clean their lands do the weeds cry out in pain, or is it just an absurd concept?

There are two schools of thought but they do not create an active debate since science gives a clear-cut answer.  The first theory has large support and declares that plants can not experience pain.  However, a second concept declares that these leafy fellows do hurt and respond to damage.

Ideally, it’s worth the while looking at both and letting you the reader, make the decision. Of course, most people already have a defined belief in the role of plants in human life.  Summing it up in phrases, plants make food and sustain many of the vital cycles on which humans depend.

From a broader viewpoint, plants help us with both clean air and water, playing vital roles in each cycle. Thanks to modern science, we can appreciate our need for such processes as reforestation, the creation of rainforests, and the preservation of the flora and fauna.

The Paris Agreement recognizes the need for developing countries to receive climate finance in return for the net emissions reductions that they have accomplished by slowing deforestation.

Plants Do Feel Pain – First School of Thought

Imagine the horrific damage that has been wrought over the centuries by unscrupulous humans inflicting damage on the plant kingdom. From forest fires to bomb testing ranges, mankind has eliminated millions of plant life. That is according to this point of view.

The answer is yes. Surprised? Let’s astound you some more – plants do not just feel pain, they experience other emotions such as pleasure, fear, and affection, and they can communicate with humans and other forms of life recognizably.

The Indian scientist Sir Jagdish Chandra Bose, very well known for this research in botany, found out that plants appeared to have a very sensitive nervous system, and responded to shocks just like the human muscle does. When cut, they feel pain. When they are grown amidst pleasant music, they grow better (they feel happy!) – but when put amidst loud music and harsh words they grow much slower (perhaps they feel frustrated!).

Sir Bose also proved that plants can “feel pain, understand affection, etc”. After years of study of plants put under different circumstances, he put forward the analysis that plants treated with love, affection, and care gave out a different vibration than the one subjected to torture. The kind of vibration given out depends on the “feeling” the plant is experiencing. Hence proved that plants indeed feel pain, torture, and other negative emotions!

Interestingly, another report published on How Stuff Works, provides similar conclusions based on research at the University of Bonn.

According to researchers at the Institute for Applied Physics at the University of Bonn in Germany, plants release gases that are the equivalent of crying out in pain. Using a laser-powered microphone, researchers have picked up sound waves produced by plants releasing gases when cut or injured.

Just before you give your final vote, you may want to consider the second theory about plants and pain.

Plants Do Not Feel Pain – Second School of Thought

According to the Brittanica Encyclopedia, plants lack the necessary biological systems to feel pain.

Given that plants do not have pain receptors, nerves, or a brain, they do not feel pain as we members of the animal kingdom understand it. Uprooting a carrot or trimming a hedge is not a form of botanical torture, and you can bite into that apple without worry

The encyclopedia is not the only scientific media that does not share Sir Bose’s theory. The popular UK tabloid, The Guardian, published an investigation that highlighted that although plants can react to external influences, it does not amount to pain.

“At this point in time, science shows no evidence that plants suffer from pain. There is some evidence they react to being cut, but this is a basic stimulus response that is similar to how they react to sunlight. It’s not painful for them, it’s just like a mobile phone that flashed low battery.”

One recent report from the Sentinel compares how plants and animals react to pain. The article concludes that only animals can feel pain since a central nervous system is missing in Plants. “The reason plants can’t feel pain is because they lack nervous systems and brains.

“This is also the precise reason why so many nonhuman animals, including the many that we kill by the millions every day for food, can and do feel pain. To understand why plants can’t feel pain is to understand why animals can.”

How Do You Vote – Do Plants Feel Pain?

Both theories pack solid punches and carry strong and reputable scientific support. The pro voice has drawn on the result of years of study including universities. It has shown that it is possible that plants can feel pain, and emotions and react to psychological stimuli.

However, since humans are still unable to hear or feel plants’ responses, there still remains a huge gap to prove it. As time goes by, new technology, scientific research, and data may provide the results that eliminate all doubts.

On the other hand, the opposite school of thought affirms that it is impossible for plants to feel pain or have an emotional experience. Sticking to a science base that highlights the absence of a brain and a central nervous system, they reject the concept of crying plants.

Some readers will remain on the sidelines and await more research data that may make it easier to choose. Others will cast a positive vote and may even refrain from eating certain plant products. Many will remain unmoved by the new research, and continue to farm and reap food.

Whatever you choose, it is vital to remember the important place that plants occupy in our lives and our planet.