Great Apes kiss and cuddle to keep the peace, says study

What the report says

BBC Africa reported that scientists studying great apes say hugging, touching and kissing before tense moments may be an ancient way of creating trust and reducing conflict. The research, led by Durham University, examined chimpanzees and bonobos — humans’ closest living ape relatives — and focused on how they used reassuring contact before competition over food.

According to the BBC, the study took place at two great ape sanctuaries in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia. Researchers created a feeding situation using peanuts and observed the apes in the five minutes before food arrived, when the animals appeared to anticipate competition. They recorded behaviours such as embracing, touching and kissing, including close contact among chimpanzees, a species often associated with aggression.

The BBC reported that apes that engaged in more physical reassurance were more likely to reach food and eat near one another without conflict. More tolerant groups also showed higher levels of contact, including sequences in which several apes embraced one after another. Prof Zanna Clay described the behaviour as a collective response before stress, while Dr Jake Brooker said comparing bonobos and chimpanzees can help explain the evolutionary roots of cooperation and tension management.

The findings, published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, suggest social touch may have developed before spoken language and could date back millions of years to a common ancestor of humans, chimpanzees and bonobos. The research matters because it offers a possible evolutionary context for familiar human behaviours such as team huddles, hugs or a reassuring pat before stressful events.