Distress prevention by grooming others in crested black macaques.
Allogrooming is probably one of the most common and most studied social behaviours in a variety of animals. Whereas the short-term benefits for the groomee have often been investigated, little is known about the effects for the groomer. Our study focused on the short-term effects of grooming another group member in seven adult female crested black macaques (Macaca nigra). We found reductions in self-directed behaviour, an indicator of anxiety, and aggressive tendencies soon after grooming, when compared to matched-control periods. These findings can be interpreted as evidence of distress prevention, possibly mediated by an increase in tolerance. Indeed, a former groomee was more likely to be the nearest neighbour of the former groomer in the 10 min after grooming ended. Thus, the role of grooming in short-term distress alleviation can be applicable to the groomer as well as the groomee. These short-term effects, together with the longer-term effects of large and/or strong grooming networks confirm that grooming, as well as receiving grooming, has great importance for social dynamics.
Aureli
Filippo
F
Research Centre in Evolutionary Anthropology and Palaeoecology, School of Natural Sciences and Psychology, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool L3 3AF, UK. f.aureli@ljmu.ac.uk
Yates
Kerrie
K
D000374:Aggression / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D000836:Animals, Zoo; D001007:Anxiety / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006120:Grooming / Q000502:physiology*; D008251:Macaca / Q000502:physiology*; D019370:Observation; D012919:Social Behavior; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric