Chimpanzees enjoy watching movies together and get a sense of closeness and bonding through shared experience, scientists say. A study of apes watching videos suggests human social bonding may have deeper evolutionary roots than previously thought. Chimpanzees were found to be more sociable after watching movies together (Danny Lawson/PA)The effect was also measured for pairs of bonobos and for great apes paired with humans. The results indicated that great apes behave more socially after an interaction in which they align their attention to an external stimulus. Study two replicated these findings in a different sample and extended them by showing that this effect is not limited to great apes’ interactions with humans, but also seems to occur in interactions between great apes.

Source: Irish Examiner July 17, 2019 11:15 UTC