I think this is spot on. Scientifically they aren’t “happy” or “sad” but they can still be stressed or put in less than ideal conditions. I think the main problem with this is feeding. It can be very difficult for a reptile owner (especially a new keeper) to understand that more food is bad and if the snake is “begging” for food it must be hungry and not giving it food is starving it. I think this is part of the reason why obesity in captive reptiles is so common. So, if someone wants to believe that their reptile has feelings, that’s fine, as long as their care isn’t compromised.
There’s a good discussion about this here: