Published • loading... • Updated
Great Apes kiss and cuddle to keep the peace, says study
Researchers found that friendly touch before feeding helped bonobos and chimpanzees share limited food more peacefully in 60 observed sessions.
- On Wednesday, July 22, 2026, researchers reported in Proceedings of the Royal Society B that chimpanzees and bonobos use physical touch to ease social tension during food competition.
- The research team, led by Durham University's Department of Psychology, observed 116 individuals across five groups during 60 cofeeding sessions, using limited food to replicate natural resource competition.
- Scientists documented diverse gestures including embraces and hand-holding, with risky finger-in-mouth contact occurring frequently among male chimpanzees, particularly between gender-matched pairs reflecting core social alliances.
- Apes engaging in more reassuring touch spent more time peacefully sharing food with others. Professor Zanna Clay said, "Physical closeness is a really powerful way of managing stress."
- These behaviors extend back at least six million years, suggesting touch played a crucial role in human evolution, with researchers now planning to explore whether physical contact reduces stress hormones.
Insights by Ground AI
24 Articles
24 Articles
Researchers Discover Social Bonding Role Of Touch In Great Apes
Chimpanzees and bonobos use physical touch, including embraces, hand-holding and other affectionate gestures, to reduce social tension and promote peaceful interactions during competition for food, according to a new study published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B. According to the report, researchers believe these behaviors offer insights into the evolutionary origins of human social bonding.💡The study, led by Durham University's Departm…
·United States
Read Full Article
Chimpanzees and bonobos seek physical closeness – similar to humans. A new study has investigated their behavior.
·Zürich, Switzerland
Read Full Article
Dnevni list DanasReposted by 
vijesti.me
vijesti.meHugging before stressful events may be an ancient way of building trust, say monkey scientists.
·Belgrade, Serbia
Read Full Article
Coverage Details
Total News Sources24
Leaning Left5Leaning Right4Center6Last UpdatedBias Distribution40% Center
Bias Distribution
- 40% of the sources are Center
40% Center
L 33%
C 40%
R 27%
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
