Oct 12 2009
The Behavior in Our Bloodlines
A couple studies have been recently published that highlight how other primates behave similar to us. Or is our behavior similar to theirs?
1) Rhesus macaque mothers and their infants engage in a significant amount of “face time.” [source]
“What does a mother or father do when looking at their own baby?” asked Pier Francesco Ferrari of the Università di Parma in Italy. “They smile at them and exaggerate their gestures, modify their voice pitch—the so-called “motherese”—and kiss them. What we found in mother macaques is very similar: they exaggerate their gestures, “kiss” their baby, and have sustained mutual gaze.”
For macaques, however, this intimate bonding period lasts barely a month. Relative to humans, macaques undergo accelerated development. Or do humans, relative to macaques, undergo a dramatically slowed development?
Interestingly, for macaque and human, the next social stage is again similar. The young children turn from an intense interest and attachment to mom/caregivers, to a great interest in same-age peers.
2) In Old World monkeys, there is a correlation between brain size and time spent in social grooming.[source] It is not a surprise that humans, with our dramatically bulbous brains, spend a significant amount of time in behavior that could also be described as social grooming. The difference, as I am exploring in my Almighty Alpha series, is that humans groom one other by exchanging pleasant vocalizations in the form of chit-chat.
When it comes to primates, the smaller the brain, the simpler the social dynamics of the group they live in.
In explaining the existence of religions, some see in them an ancient means of regulating behavior. Social behavior. Consider the ten commandments (and my on-the-fly interpretation of them):
1) I am your alpha, recognize me as such and put none before me.
2 & 3) Do not speak poorly of me or make images of competing/aspiring alphas. Again, keep me first. All of you must do this (for the sake of group harmony).
4) Keep my day holy. All of you do this together.
5) Respect and don’t reject your mom and dad. Keep our social organizations stable.
6) Do not murder (any of those in your group).
7) Do not have intercourse with another male’s female. That will really destabilize a group.
8) Do not steal. From your group mates. Play nice.
9) Don’t tell lies about your group mates. We want loyal group members and need the ability to determine who are good (for us) and who are not.
10) Do not covet the stuff of other group members. That will lead to a failure to play nice.
Religious ideas are not so other-worldly when viewed in this light. Sure, supernatural entities play an important role in religion. But that role is largely to assist in the social regulation of a group of individuals by populating individual’s minds with invisible agents. The supernatural agents, not surprisingly, are generally important group members (ancestors, patriarchs) that show an interest in what goes on in the visible world. So to speak.
