Tag Archives: empathy

Contagious yawning in geladas

Posted on November 7, 2009 by

Yawning is a common phenomenon among vertebrates. Despite its widespread occurrence, the function of yawning remains a mystery 1. Indeed, yawning has been suggested as (i) a cooling mechanism for the brain to maintain cognitive function; (ii) a communicative behavior … Continue reading →

Posted in Animal Behavior, Animal Cognition, Primatology | Tagged , , | 7 Comments

If it feels good, do it (for capuchins)

Posted on September 10, 2008 by

Research published this week in PNAS suggests that capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella) engage in “prosocial” behavior with another conspecific when that individual is familiar, visible, and receiving rewards of equal value (de Waal et al. 2008). The researchers presented capuchins … Continue reading →

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