Study on chimpanzee and bonobo trust-building behaviour
A study found that chimpanzees and bonobos use physical contact to build trust before stressful events.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
A new study from Durham University has found that chimpanzees and bonobos use physical contact to build trust and reduce tension before stressful events, much like humans do. Researchers observed the apes living in sanctuaries in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia, focusing on feeding time, which is often a source of conflict. They gave the animals a five-minute warning before food arrived and watched how they behaved. Instead of aggression, the apes engaged in a range of reassuring behaviours: touching, stroking, patting, embracing, and even kissing each other. Those that had more physical contact before feeding were more likely to eat peacefully alongside one another. The scientists described the behaviour as a "rallying cry" before competition, helping to build cooperation and social tolerance. The study suggests this use of touch may be an ancient behaviour shared by humans, chimpanzees, and bonobos, dating back at least seven million years to a common ancestor. The findings offer a reminder that the drive for tolerance and peace is part of our evolutionary heritage.
On screen
Stills are sampled automatically at 60-second intervals. Where shown, the still is the nearest available frame from the relevant broadcast segment and is included to show what was on screen during that part of the broadcast. A still may not correspond to the exact second of a quoted phrase.
Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
The BBC report framed the study around a human analogy, comparing the apes' behaviour to a sports team huddle before a big game. It emphasised the evolutionary roots of the behaviour and used warm, accessible language to connect the findings to everyday human experience. The report included a human interest intro about trust and reassurance.
- “Before a stressful event, so let's say before the World Cup, all the teams had to rouse their cooperation, they had to rouse their togetherness.”
- “Sometimes they embraced, sometimes they touched, they stroked, they patted, and we found this really amazing suite of behaviours that show to us that despite their reputation as being competitive and aggressive, actually both chimpanzees and bonobos have this amazing repertoire of behaviours that support social tolerance.”
- “So the next time you see a football huddle, you may be witnessing something with deep evolutionary roots.”
ITV News at Ten focused on the evolutionary timeline, stating the behaviour dates from at least seven million years ago. It used the metaphor of a 'dinnertime negotiation' and included a direct quote from Professor Clay about the drive for tolerance being part of ancestral DNA. The tone was slightly more scientific and included a montage of human examples before the report.
- “We saw all sorts of things. There was a lot of touching, a lot of stroking. In chimpanzees, they show these particular types of behaviours. Sometimes they'd even pant on each other's bodies, kiss each other on their body parts.”
- “So what do you think it says about us as a species then, watching them? So I think what it reminds us is that our drive for tolerance, our drive for peace, is part of our ancestral DNA.”
- “Seven million years ago, we shared a common ancestor with bonobos and chimpanzees. So when humans hug a teammate or offer a pat on the shoulder ahead of something stressful, we may well be drawing on a shared, ancient social toolkit.”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.