Being in the company of friends is not only a cure for loneliness, but also a good way to relieve stress. New research observed overall lower levels of stress hormones in wild chimpanzees when surrounded by their peers. Interestingly, this isn’t just true for stressful situations—such as a confrontation from a rival chimp gang—but also for casual encounters with social partners, like grooming.
Authors:
Roman M. Wittig, Catherine Crockford, Anja Weltring, Kevin E. Langergraber, Tobias Deschner & Klaus Zuberbühler
Corresponding author:
Roman Wittig, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
Original paper published in Nature Communications on November 1, 2016.
