I think you are talking about empathy, not basic emotions. Mirror neurons are observed only in primates[1]. Birds may have some mirroring system, and lower-orde

I think you are talking about empathy, not basic emotions. Mirror neurons are observed only in primates[1]. Birds may have some mirroring system, and lower-order animals do not. So, if you require mirror neurons for emotions, you are basically stating only primates can have emotions, maybe birds and other animals (like honeybees and crayfish) can not. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirror_neuron https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirror_neuron