The taboo of friendship among animals, an evolutionary advantage that is not exclusive to humans

I will do and Ellington They were two old males who lived in Kibale National Park, in Uganda. They weren't related, but they made a good team. After a hunt, Ellington extended one arm, a common gesture in chimpanzees to ask for food, and I will do He gave him a piece of his meat. They spent days moving through the forest together and, when separated, maintained contact through loud vocalizations. When Ellington died, I will do He changed suddenly and isolated himself from the group for weeks, as if he needed to grieve.

A few years later, some bottlenose dolphins also showed their affinity on the other side of the world, in Sarasota Bay (Florida, USA). A 58 year old female named Nicklo He used to hunt near the coast, in a shallow area where schools of fish abound. One day, she appeared accompanied by another old female to whom she was not related. Between the two of them they grouped the fish and stunned them with their tails to eat them. This caught the attention of the researchers, as they rarely saw female dolphins hunting together. However, for Nicklo and his partner this became a routine. They could simply have a working relationship, but they were often seen swimming together in other areas, as if they were simply out for a walk.

Charismatic animals like dolphins and chimpanzees They give us anecdotes about friendship that move us and become popular. However, it was not these species that caused the scientific community to decide to use the label “friendship” in studies on the social relationships of animals.

Science must be very careful with the terms it uses, so that misunderstandings are not generated. When a new behavior is described, several names often emerge until a consensus is reached. For example, primates love newborns. They have a very frequent behavior that consists of approaching babies to smell them and touch them, sometimes going so far as to tear them out of their mother's hand. The first times this was referred to in scientific studies, labels such as aunting (play an aunt) or kidnapping (to kidnap). The first had positive connotations and the second negative, so she ended up being called infant handling (groping of infants).

At first, no academic dared to use the word friendship in their animal studies. They observed that individuals had marked preferences when it came to relating, but they spoke of close ties or relationships. Friendship was only referred to in relaxed gatherings. If this word was included in a scientific article, it was italicized, as if this protected the author or authors from accusations of anthropomorphism or lack of rigor. Some scientists, wanting to laugh at themselves, used to refer to friendship as the f word (of English friendship), referring to the unnameable nature of the term.

In the early 1980s, the idea was established that human relationships were very different from those of animals. Humans established unconditional friendships, in which we gave something in exchange for nothing, while animals were like economic machines. They did not act motivated by feelings of affection, but by “I help you today, because you will help me tomorrow” or “I join you for convenience.” Therefore, their relationships were not worthy of being classified as friendship.

It was an American anthropologist named Barbara Smuts who, in 1985, brought animal friendship out of the closet with her book Sex and friendship in baboons. In Kenya, the first studies on the social behavior of baboons had begun in the seventies. By measuring the time these monkeys spent in proximity and grooming each other, they discovered that the baboons formed very close relationships with some females and not with others. They were often related, but not always.

The data made it clear that baboons had a very complex social world. I was able to see this first-hand when she was working in Senegal, following a group of Guinea baboons. This species has a different social life than the baboons found in Kenya, since it is the males who establish strong relationships for a long time.

I remember one time I was following a young male named Bellawhile taking data with a smartphone. I was so focused on my phone that I didn't see a branch and I tripped. I didn't fall to the ground, but I made a sudden movement that scared Bella, causing him to scream very loudly. Five seconds later, I found myself surrounded by her best friends, three huge baboons who began to scream and raise their eyebrows in a threatening gesture. They made it very clear to me: if I had the intention of harming BellaI would have to deal with them first.

Nowadays, Animal friendship appears frequently in scientific articles. The wide acceptance of the term is due to the fact that evidence indicates that the relationships between humans and the rest of the primates are quite similar. Like us, they also have friends.

It is important to emphasize that friendship is an adaptation. That is, it is very widespread because it confers advantages in survival and reproduction. For example, a 1993 study showed that lower-class humans gave birth to heavier babies when they had strong social connections. At the same time, the baboons that are better integrated into the group also have more success in parenting of their little ones.

Friends and evolutionary adaptation

It is good for all of us to have friends. Now, when two children become friends, they do not think that this will improve their reproduction and their chances of survival. The same thing happens with other animals, their friendships have an adaptive function, but that does not mean that their actions may be motivated by emotions similar to ours.

In fact, it seems that monkeys are pretty bad at keeping track of favors. Some authors have proposed that, instead, reciproci
ty in animal relationships is unconditional in the short term and based on emotions. These ideas are supported by studies that indicate that a primate is more likely to help another if it has a close long-term relationship with it, than if it has helped it recently.

At a physiological level, we know that the mechanisms that mediate the relationships between humans and other animals are very similar. Oxytocin and vasopressin are the queens of social bonding. A study in 2007 showed that the septal area of ​​the human brain, which controls the release of oxytocin and vasopressin, is involved in the unconditional trust we have with our friends. Interestingly, this area is highly conserved in form and function in a variety of species.

This does not mean that animals experience their friendships exactly the same as we do. Humans have highly developed social capacities that allow us to deeply understand the perspective, knowledge and feelings of other individuals. Each species has its unique way of relating. By using the term friendship in animals we are not denying this diversity, but rather accepting, once again, that we are not so different.

You can follow SUBJECT in Facebook, x and instagramor sign up here to receive our weekly newsletter.

_