Buzz
Researchers at the Wolfgang Kohler Primate Research Center in Germany have recently found that chimpanzees, much like humans, strengthen their relationships by watching movies together, as reported by the BBC.
In their study, published in *Proceedings of the Royal Society B*, scientists placed pairs of chimpanzees in front of screens showing a video of a chimp family interacting with a young one. The results showed that the chimps spent more time grooming each other and engaging with one another—or simply being in close proximity—after watching the video compared to before.
To keep the chimps calm and engaged during the viewing, the researchers provided fruit juice and selected a subject they knew would captivate them: other chimps. They also used eye trackers to confirm the chimps were paying attention to the screen. If you’ve ever watched a movie with friends, you might notice some similarities: drinks (and snacks) help us stay relaxed, and we enjoy watching films about other people. This study only showed that chimpanzees bond over content about their own species, so it’s unclear whether the same effect would happen with something completely unrelated to them, like *The Lion King*.
The notion that bonding through shared experiences is a distinctly human trait has long been believed, with some researchers arguing that other species lack the psychological mechanisms to even realize they’re experiencing something together. This study, however, suggests that social activities for apes go beyond practical purposes like traveling for safety and indicate they are capable of forming a deeper, more human-like bond.
What makes this study particularly human is its focus on the impact of a screen, as opposed to something more natural. The chimps involved had participated in prior studies, so they might be more familiar with technology than wild apes would be. Nevertheless, the study shows that we’re not the only species capable of engaging in social interactions simply for the sake of connection.
