Good Vibes: What Happens When Monkeys Are Nice to Each Other?

AbstractHumans belong to a group of animals known as primates. This group includes the lemurs, monkeys, and apes. Scientists have studied the behavior of primates for many years, and one reason for doing this is to find out how similar—or not—primates are to us. This article will tell you about research we have carried out into the social behavior of a monkey known as the Barbary macaque. We looked at a special behavior, grooming, where one animal does a favor to another by cleaning its fur, removing dirt, ticks, and fleas. We discovered that doing grooming makes monkeys feel relaxed, and that even observing others groom has the same effect. These findings suggest that for monkeys, being nice—or just watching others being nice—makes them feel good. This is also true for humans, so our lives and those of the other primates are more similar than we previously thought.Stress and Grooming in PrimatesThe primates are a group of animals that includes the apes, the monkeys, and the lemurs (Fi...