Chimp Cure For Stress: Hugs And Kisses

Researchers Find Consolation Helps Quell Chimpanzee Victims Of Aggression

(AP)  Researchers studying chimpanzees, the closest genetic relatives to people, found that stress was reduced in chimps that were victims of aggression if a third chimp stepped in to offer consolation.

"Consolation usually took the form of a kiss or embrace," said Dr. Orlaith N. Fraser of the Research Center in Evolutionary Anthropology and Paleoecology at Liverpool John Moores University in England.

"This is particularly interesting," she said, because this behavior is rarely seen other than after a conflict.

"If a kiss was used, the consoler would press his or her open mouth against the recipient's body, usually on the top of the head or their back. An embrace consisted of the consoler wrapping one or both arms around the recipient."

The result was a reduction of stress behavior such as scratching or self-grooming by the victim of aggression, Fraser and colleagues report in Tuesday's edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Dr. Frans de Waal of the Yerkes Primate Center at Emory University in Atlanta said the study is important because it shows the relationship between consolation and stress reduction. Previous researchers have claimed that consolation had no effect on stress, said de Waal, who was not part of Fraser's research team.

"This study removes doubt that consolation really does what the term suggests: provide relief to distressed parties after conflict. The evidence is compelling and makes it likely that consolation behavior is an expression of empathy," de Waal said.

De Waal suggested that this evidence of empathy in apes is "perhaps equivalent to what in human children is called 'sympathetic concern."'

That behavior in children includes touching and hugging of distressed family members and "is in fact identical to that of apes, and so the comparison is not far-fetched," he said.

While chimps show this empathy, monkeys do not, he added.

There is also suggestive evidence of such behavior in large-brained birds and dogs, said Fraser, but it has not yet been shown that it reduces stress levels in those animals.

Previous research on conflict among chimps concentrated on cases where there is reconciliation between victim and aggressor, with little attention to intervention by a third party.

Fraser and colleagues studied a group of chimps at the Chester Zoo in England from January 2005 to September 2006, recording instances of aggression such as a bite, hit, rush, trample, chase or threat.

The results show that "chimpanzees calm distressed recipients of aggression by consoling them with a friendly gesture," Fraser said.

Consolation was most likely to occur between chimpanzees who already had valuable relationships, she added.

The research was supported by the Leakey Trust.

[scotch41-2009]

thought this was going to be an atricle about Bush curing stress. Maybe someone should get him a chimp. Just make sure it%u2019s a male...we wouldn%u2019t want him to leave Laura for a new love.

Posted by rf35 at 11:07 AM : Jun 17, 2008
~~~~~~~~~~~
It may still be...LOL

[Wookiee-1138]

I GROK HUMANS!

[kenhamlett]

It just goes to show us that chimps are once again shown to be brighter than most researchers. The usual answer has been that stress can only be treated with a pill.
Someone go tell the chimps they have it all screwed up.

And in keeping pace with the responses I have read so far...
yes, please go tell Bush he has it all screwed up too.

[mudrose-2009]

I thought this was going to be an atricle about Bush curing stress. Maybe someone should get him a chimp. Just make sure it%u2019s a male...we wouldn%u2019t want him to leave Laura for a new love.
Posted by rf35

Obama''s looking for Fathers. Maybe the chimp, er chump can collect a few to relieve all the little stressed out dimnowits.

[rf35]

I thought this was going to be an atricle about Bush curing stress. Maybe someone should get him a chimp. Just make sure it%u2019s a male...we wouldn%u2019t want him to leave Laura for a new love.

[extremophil]

Chimp Cure For Stress: Craap in your hands and THROW it at the person who is stressing you out! (I tried it and it works).