contrafreeloading means A behaviour, where, when given a choice, an individual animal will choose a food source which requires effort to obtain instead of that which requires little to no effort. Lexicurio rates it Rare gem — a strength score of 82 out of 100.
Why this word is great
CONTRAFREELOADING — [Noun] The behavioral preference in which an animal elects to work for sustenance even when identical sustenance is freely available. From the prefix contra- (meaning "against" or "opposite") + freeloading (the act of taking advantage of others' generosity without offering anything in return). Unlike "freeloading," which denotes passive consumption of unearned bounty, or "foraging," which describes a necessary search for scarce resources, contrafreeloading is an elective preference for the task itself—a puzzle the creature gives itself. It is the laboratory rat ignoring the full bowl to press the lever, the crow eschewing scattered peanuts to solve an intricate box, or the domestic cat stalking a kibble-dispensing ball while its bowl sits untouched. A quiet testament to the fact that meaning, even for a beast, is often forged in friction.
noun
- A behaviour, where, when given a choice, an individual animal will choose a food source which requires effort to obtain instead of that which requires little to no effort.“There is also a free treat option in the puzzle box, a way for the researchers here to measure something called “contrafreeloading.” This term describes a behavior animals demonstrate when they choose to work for a reward rather than just freeloading from readily available food.”