Nanda Alfan Kurniawan, Husni Hanafi, Dwi Sona, Fifi Khoirul Fitriyah, Destanika Dhiffa Ralianti, Syarifudin Syarifudin, Muhaimin Abdillah
This Letter to the Editor engages with recent cross-cultural and developmental evidence on human perceptions of animal minds, highlighting its significance for environmental psychology. Building on findings showing that humans across cultures readily attribute feelings, but consistently deny human-like thoughts, to nonhuman animals, we argue that human mental exceptionalism represents an early-emerging and culturally resilient cognitive boundary. We contend that this distinction refines current understandings of anthropomorphism, moral concern, and human–environment relations, with important implications for conservation behaviour and environmental education. By emphasizing the differential roles of affective and cognitive mind attribution, this commentary invites renewed theoretical attention to how foundational beliefs about mind shape moral engagement with the more-than-human world. © 2026
Universitas Mulawarman, Department of Guidance and Counseling, Samarinda, Indonesia; State University of Malang, Department of Guidance and Counseling, Malang, Indonesia; Universitas Universitas Nahdatul Ulama Surabaya, Department of Primary Education, Surabaya, Indonesia
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