Aug 12, 2021 06:15 PM
https://gizmodo.com/bonobos-appear-to-sa...1847464864
EXCERPT: . . . The research team observed over 2,000 interactions between chimpanzees as well as bonobos, another ape species closely related to humans. These salutations and farewells—which occurred about 78% of the time among chimpanzees and 90% of the time among bonobos engaged in cooperative activities—seem to come in the forms of physical contact and locking gazes between individuals, by which the animals party to the shared action can confirm that everyone’s on board. These “joint action phases,” as the researchers call them, seem to be a pretty common aspect of the apes’ social behavior.
“Intriguingly, the pattern mirrored what we find in humans and what some people define as ‘social etiquette’ or ‘politeness’: when interacting with a good friend, you are less likely to put effort in communicating politely. In bonobos, a similar pattern is evident in the structure of the joint action phases,” said Raphaela Heesen, a researcher at Durham University in England and the study’s lead author, in an email.
It could be that the apes want to make sure everything is cool before, for example, proceeding with a play chase—you don’t want to start roughhousing with someone who isn’t interested, as they could take it the wrong way. But the researchers cautioned against viewing the apes’ behaviors too much through the lens of how humans behave.
Among the bonobos, the duration of the interactions seemed contingent on the social hierarchies within the group... (MORE - details)
EXCERPT: . . . The research team observed over 2,000 interactions between chimpanzees as well as bonobos, another ape species closely related to humans. These salutations and farewells—which occurred about 78% of the time among chimpanzees and 90% of the time among bonobos engaged in cooperative activities—seem to come in the forms of physical contact and locking gazes between individuals, by which the animals party to the shared action can confirm that everyone’s on board. These “joint action phases,” as the researchers call them, seem to be a pretty common aspect of the apes’ social behavior.
“Intriguingly, the pattern mirrored what we find in humans and what some people define as ‘social etiquette’ or ‘politeness’: when interacting with a good friend, you are less likely to put effort in communicating politely. In bonobos, a similar pattern is evident in the structure of the joint action phases,” said Raphaela Heesen, a researcher at Durham University in England and the study’s lead author, in an email.
It could be that the apes want to make sure everything is cool before, for example, proceeding with a play chase—you don’t want to start roughhousing with someone who isn’t interested, as they could take it the wrong way. But the researchers cautioned against viewing the apes’ behaviors too much through the lens of how humans behave.
Among the bonobos, the duration of the interactions seemed contingent on the social hierarchies within the group... (MORE - details)