Apes Use Physical Touch for Reassurance Before Stressful Events, Study Finds
Quick Look
A study by Durham University researchers found that chimpanzees and bonobos use physical contact, including touching, embracing, and kissing, to reassure each other before stressful events like food conflicts, suggesting an ancient method of building trust.
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Why It Matters
Researchers at Durham University studied chimpanzees and bonobos in great ape sanctuaries to understand their social behaviors before stressful events.
Touching, embracing and kissing before stressful events may be an ancient way of building trust, according to scientists studying the behaviour of our closest ape relatives.
Researchers at Durham University studied chimpanzees and bonobos using physical contact to reassure each other ahead of conflicts over food.
One of the most surprising findings was that chimpanzees, despite their reputation for aggression, engaged in close contact, including placing fingers in one another's mouths.
"Before stressful events, they come together, they reassure each other, they touch each other, they hug each other," said Prof Zanna Clay.
She described the behaviour as "a rallying cry" before a stressful event, much like a football huddle before a big match.
"It's like a 'we' rather than a 'me'," she said.
The experts studied chimpanzees and bonobos living at two great ape sanctuaries in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia.
They designed an experiment to mimic natural feeding in the wild - using peanuts.
