Great Apes Engage in Playful Teasing Like Humans, Revealing Surprising Similarities in Cognitive Skills

Engaging in playful teasing is fundamental to human social interaction, often seen as a marker of sociability and intelligence. Initially thought to be uniquely human due to the complex cognitive skills involved in humor, recent research challenges this notion.

Great apes, including bonobos, orangutans, gorillas, and chimpanzees, exhibit similar playful teasing behaviors, suggesting comparable cognitive capacities. Surprisingly, their actions, such as poking, tickling, and stealing from peers, resemble human humor, providing insights into the evolutionary origins of our sense of humor.

Exploring Playful Teasing in Great Apes

Chimpanzees have been previously observed participating in agonistic teasing, a form of harassment used to reinforce social hierarchies. However, when a balance between enjoyment and aggression is achieved, teasing can also serve as a playful and amusing behavior, according to Isabelle Laumer at the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior in Germany.

The playful aspect of teasing in apes has not been systematically studied, prompting Laumer and colleagues to establish criteria for identifying playful teasing in great apes. Although various species exhibit laughter-like vocalizations, humor remains a complex cognitive skill.

Great apes, due to their close relation to humans and their engagement in social play, laughter display, and sophisticated understanding of others' expectations, are considered excellent candidates for studying playful teasing, notes Isabelle Laumer, the first author of the study and a post-doctoral researcher at UCLA.

The researchers observed bonobos, orangutans, gorillas, and chimpanzees in various zoos, utilizing a video corpus for detailed analysis of bodily movements, facial expressions, and responses to teasing. A behavioral coding system was developed to identify playful teasing events, focusing on interactions devoid of aggression and characterized by playfulness and provocation.

The study, titled "Spontaneous playful teasing in four great ape species" published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B, revealed that all four great apes intentionally engaged in provocative behavior, resulting in 18 distinct behaviors aimed at capturing a partner's attention.

Teasers commonly used repetitive actions, such as waving body parts or objects, poking, staring closely, disrupting movements, and pulling hair, making it challenging for targets to ignore.

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Beyond Play: Evolutionary Origins of Playful Teasing Among Great Apes and Human Infants

The researchers highlight that playful teasing in great apes goes beyond mere play, exhibiting one-sided provocation and infrequent reciprocation. Ape humor, akin to children's teasing, involves repetition and elements of surprise, serving the dual purpose of self-enjoyment and drawing attention.

Evolutionarily, the presence of playful teasing in all four great apes, similar to human infants, suggests its existence in our last common ancestor over 13 million years ago. The study encourages further exploration of playful teasing in various species, fostering awareness of shared traits with our closest relatives and the need to protect endangered animals.

Despite the study's focus on zoo-housed apes, future research aims to delve into wild populations for a broader understanding of playful teasing's social and cognitive aspects. Understanding the evolutionary origins of humor among primates can provide insights into human development and the significance of banter in social interactions.

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