Wow. The Independent:
Chimpanzees bond over watching films in way previously thought unique only to humans
Research suggests ‘one of the most basic mechanisms of human social bonding … has deeper evolutionary roots than previously suspected’
Chimpanzees who watch films together bond in a way previously thought unique to humans, research has found.
Pairs of chimps who sat together and watched the same video spent more time together and showed more signs of social bonding, such as grooming each other.
Another study found the animals also approached humans faster if they had watched the movie together.
We are primed for storytelling, and story-listening, and — it seems — for stories told visually. Amazing.
Sadly, none of the chimps survived the great battle that ensued after they saw The Last Jedi.
There were a few who saw War for the Planet of the Apes and survived. Even now they are consolidating their strength and biding their time.
From the article:
Yeah, scientists keep claiming some things are “uniquely human” and it never turns out to be the case. We really need to do a better job holding our egos in check.
Hey, humanity is slipperier than a greased weasel. Why else do so many people in American politics and corporate America do their damnedest to get rid of theirs?
That’s what research like this does.
True. But this has happened often enough that maybe thinking something is “uniquely human” shouldn’t be the default assumption.
my father always says that the difference between humans and other animal species isn’t language, because it is obvious that other animals communicate, and it isn’t art, because well, we have elephant paintings, it isn’t a lot of things, but one thing humans do that others don’t is make work for themselves. animals will build nests and decorate them to attract a mate, but that is all they do, they don’t add chores onto the purpose. no giraffe ever said, “let’s build a koi pond over there”, no lion ever said, “we should mow all this grass and make it even” and no chimpanzee says, “let’s add a porch onto this perfectly fine tree branch we use to sleep on.” or, “let’s work an extra 5 hours every day so we can have that thing that we want.” yup, make work, there’s the difference.
But do these chimps actually bond over Bond films? That’s what I want to know.
Also what would their reaction be to Woody Allen’s Bananas?