Summary: Grooming and play behaviors in chimpanzees are contagious, fostering social bonds and harmony within their groups. Conducted at a wildlife orphanage, the research shows how observing others’ positive actions encourages similar behaviors, with grooming occurring more often among close partners and play thriving among younger chimps. This suggests that positive social contagion is a mechanism for maintaining cooperative group dynamics.
Researchers believe these findings provide insights into the evolution of human empathy and sociality. By studying chimpanzees, scientists gain a better understanding of how positive behaviors spread in group-living species. The study highlights the importance of social connections in maintaining stability and cooperation.
Key Facts:
- Grooming spreads more often between close social partners, reflecting empathy.
- Play contagion is stronger among young chimps, supporting their social development.
- The study demonstrates how positive emotional contagion maintains group harmony.
Source: Durham University
Researchers from Durham University have uncovered new insights into social contagion in chimpanzees, revealing that these primates are capable of catching friendly behaviours, which may strengthen social bonds and increase group harmony.
The study, conducted at the Chimfunshi Wildlife Orphanage in Zambia, observed two affiliative behaviours—grooming and play—and found that these behaviours can spread among group members in a way that promotes group cohesion.
This groundbreaking study has been published in the journal PLOS ONE, which expands our understanding of social contagion, often thought to relate mostly to negative or neutral behaviours, by showing how positive social actions can also ripple through a community.
Chimpanzees, much like humans, exhibit social and emotional awareness, and their behaviours can be influenced by observing others.
In the study, individuals were more likely to begin grooming or playing after watching another chimp engage in the same activity. Importantly, grooming contagion tended to occur more frequently between close social partners, a pattern found with other empathic behaviours.
Play contagion, on the other hand, was especially pronounced in younger chimpanzees, who often rely on play as a primary form of socialisation.
The findings suggest that behavioural contagion may be an important mechanism underlying group dynamics in social animals, helping to maintain harmony and cooperative relationships.
Lead author of the study, Georgia Sandars of Durham University said: “Researching basic social processes in chimpanzees allows us to better understand healthy social functioning in our ape relatives, and gives insights into the evolution of human sociality.”
Researchers note that these processes in chimpanzees could provide a model for understanding the evolutionary roots of human social behaviour and empathy.
By highlighting the role of positive emotional contagion in a non-human primate species, the study invites further exploration into how similar processes operate across animal species, potentially shaping group living and social stability.
The study was conducted in a naturalistic, non-invasive manner, strictly adhering to ethical guidelines, and it involved over 200 hours of observation of 41 chimpanzees.
This research underscores the adaptability of primates in social interaction and offers significant contributions to fields studying animal behaviour, empathy, and social bonding.
About this social neuroscience and evolution research news
Author: Araf Din
Source: Durham University
Contact: Araf Din – Durham University
Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News
Original Research: Open access.
“ChimpanSEE, ChimpanDO: Grooming and play contagion in chimpanzees” by Georgia Sandars et al. PLOS ONE
Abstract
ChimpanSEE, ChimpanDO: Grooming and play contagion in chimpanzees
Behavioural contagion—the onset of a species-typical behaviour soon after witnessing it in a conspecific—forms the foundation of behavioural synchrony and cohesive group living in social animals. Although past research has mostly focused on negative emotions or neutral contexts, the sharing of positive emotions in particular may be key for social affiliation.
We investigated the contagion of two socially affiliative interactive behaviours, grooming and play, in chimpanzees.
We collected naturalistic observations of N = 41 sanctuary-living chimpanzees at Chimfunshi Wildlife Orphanage, conducting focal follows of individuals following observations of a grooming or play bout, compared with matched controls. We then tested whether the presence and latency of behavioural contagion was influenced by age, sex, rank, and social closeness.
Our results offer evidence for the presence of grooming and play contagion in sanctuary-living chimpanzees. Grooming contagion appeared to be influenced by social closeness, whilst play contagion was more pronounced in younger individuals.
These findings emphasise that contagion is not restricted to negatively valenced or self-directed behaviours, and that the predictors of contagious behaviour are highly specific to the behaviour and species in question.
Examining the factors that influence this foundational social process contributes to theories of affective state matching and is key for understanding social bonding and group dynamics.
