In the collective imagination, bonobos pass for sweet pacifists who defuse tensions by sex, while chimpanzees drag the reputation of angry and bellicose beings. But is this image founded? To verify, researchers from the University of Durham observed for 1,400 hours the behavior of 90 primates living in sanctuaries: 40 bonobos Bonobo in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and 50 chimpanzees from Chimfunshi Wildlife Orphanage in Zambia.
First observation: bonobos and chimpanzees console themselves at similar rates. “”For a long time, bonobos were considered the most empathetic great apes, while chimpanzees were generally portrayed as violent and despotic monkeys. However, we have found that chimpanzees are just as likely to comfort each other as bonobos“Explains Dr. Jake Brooker, principal author of the study, in a press release.
Age plays a crucial role in these great apes when it comes to empathy. In bonobos as in chimpanzees, the youngest are the first to provide comfort to their peers. Young bonobos are both more inclined to console and be consoled, while, among chimpanzees, this role is mainly taken on by young males and close social partners.
These empathy behaviors are expressed by simple but evocative gestures, such as hugs, hands contact or even caresses … So many behaviors that strangely recall ours. “”Like human beings, bonobos and chimpanzees can show empathy in a flexible way, according to the individual, the group and the surrounding social culture“Specifies Dr. Jake Brooker.
For Professor Zanna Clay, co-author of the study, these discoveries open a fascinating window on our own nature. “”Although empathy is very important for our own species, our results show that empathic behavior, such as consolation, seem to be a common trait that we also share with our two closest parents among the great apes. Finding these similarities with our two close cousins suggests that our last common ancestor probably also had these empathic capacities“She says.
With these observations, researchers now want to extend their research to other primates and more varied environments, especially in the wild. Their study shows that our link with the great apes is not limited to genetics, but also anchors in shared emotions that have shaped the evolution of our social skills. In bonobos as in chimpanzees, compassion is not a theoretical idea, it is a tangible reality.