American scientists have discovered that chimpanzees and bonobos react emotionally when they make wrong decisions, in much the same way as humans.
A study coordinated by Brian Hare of Duke University (USA) indicates that apes show upset movements and have strong tantrums and tantrums when, after taking a risk, they fail .
To prove this, the primatologists designed two decision-making games for monkeys living in African sanctuaries : one to test their patience and the other to assess risk-taking.
Thus, they detected that the two species exhibited emotional responses to the outcome of their choices, although the chimpanzees were more patient and more prone to taking risks.
When the chosen option did not give the expected result, a negative emotional response was produced, launching wailing-like cries and “pouting”, while compulsively scratching and hitting the ground similar to the tantrums of a child who does not you get what you want .
In an article published by PLOS ONE , the researchers conclude that, like humans, other apes exhibit emotional responses after learning the results of their decision-making .
“Psychologists and economists have detected that emotions play a critical role in shaping the way in which human beings make complex decisions, such as whether we save a sum of money or invest it,” explains Alexandra Rosati, co-author of the study, who assures that the Feelings of frustration and regret also appear in primates when the decisions they have made affect their main resource, which in their case is not money but food.
