-New research strongly indicates that our closest animal relatives are capable of spontaneous unselfish acts

By Daily Mail Reporter


Chimpanzees can be as selfless and charitable as kinder examples of their human cousins, a study has found.

The findings appear to overturn previous assumptions that true altruism is a uniquely human trait.

Previous research had suggested that chimps are inherently selfish, and only display acts of generosity when pressured or tricked into doing so.

Caring and sharing: Chimpanzees can be as selfless and charitable as kinder examples of their human cousins, a study has found


Scientists now say those studies were flawed. The new research strongly indicates that our closest animal relatives are capable of spontaneous unselfish acts.

Chimps also appear sensitive to whether or not an individual deserves a handout. Among chimps, as with humans, those who ask too persistently do not get.

The results published today in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences are supported by observations of wild chimpanzees.

In their natural habitat, chimps are known to help each other and show evidence of empathy, such as reassuring distressed members of their group.

However such traits have not been verified under experimental conditions, until now.

A U.S. team at the world famous Yerkes National Primate Research Centre at Emory University, Atlanta, set about designing a simple and straightforward test of chimp charity.

It was suspected that previous studies had been too complex and not taken sufficient account of psychological factors.

Rules: Chimps also appear sensitive to whether or not an individual deserves a handout - as with humans, those who ask too persistently do not get


In the new experiment, seven adult female chimps were offered a choice between two similar actions. One action rewarded both the lead participant, or 'actor', and a partner. The other rewarded only the actor.

A series of trials were conducted in which 'actors' chose between different coloured tokens from a bin.

One coloured token could be exchanged with an experimenter for edible treats, pieces of banana, for both members of a pair. The other, selfish, option was to choose a colour that only yielded a personal reward.

All seven chimps showed an overwhelming preference for 'prosocial', or generous, choice.

It made no significant difference whether or not 'actors' and 'partners' were related. But partners hoping for a share-out were less likely to get anything if they made a fuss, begged or spat water at those exchanging the tokens.

We were excited to find female after female chose the option that gave both her and her partner food,' said study leader Dr Victoria Horner.

'It was also interesting that being overly persistent did not go down well with the choosers. It was far more productive for partners to be calm and remind the choosers they were there from time to time.'

During the experiment, 'actors' were presented with a bucket containing 30 tokens randomly jumbled together.

Tokens were split into two colours, one of which could be exchanged for a shared reward, and the other for a 'selfish' reward. Purple/green, red/blue and yellow/black pairs of tokens were used in the tests.

Rewards were wrapped in paper to reduce the probability of actors being distracted by visible food. Unwrapping the treats also produced a loud noise, so that actors could both see and hear when a partner received a reward.

The findings suggest that genuine altruism is not confined to humans, say the researchers.

Next, the scientists plan to investigate whether the apparent unselfish behaviour of chimps is related to social interactions, such as swapping food for social support.


source:dailymail