狒狒的笑會(huì)傳染？

最近科學(xué)家通過(guò)在德國(guó)動(dòng)物園觀察研究獅尾狒之間的嬉戲互動(dòng)后，發(fā)現(xiàn)所有年齡段的獅尾狒能在看到同伴笑臉后，短時(shí)間內(nèi)模仿其臉部表情，難道獅尾狒也能共享笑臉和其他面部表情可以共享？

其實(shí)早在2008年，英國(guó)樸次茅斯大學(xué)心理學(xué)系的瑪麗娜·羅斯博士從世界4個(gè)靈長(zhǎng)類動(dòng)物中心挑選了25只年齡在2歲到12歲之間的紅猩猩，并對(duì)它們的面部表情進(jìn)行了研究。

羅斯發(fā)現(xiàn)，當(dāng)一只紅猩猩張開嘴巴時(shí)(相當(dāng)于人類的笑臉)，其他猩猩往往會(huì)在半秒鐘內(nèi)呈現(xiàn)出相同的表情。這表明它們是在不自覺(jué)的情況下進(jìn)行模仿。羅斯在研究報(bào)告中指出，對(duì)同類正面情緒的理解和認(rèn)同能力，即移情作用或可傳染的“笑”早在人類之前就出現(xiàn)了。研究也表明了感受能力對(duì)群居動(dòng)物的重要性。

看來(lái)，還需要科學(xué)家們更多的研究才能判斷狒狒是否能共享其它情緒狀態(tài)。

原文摘要：

Rapid Facial Mimicry In Geladas

Giada Mancini, Pier Francesco Ferrari & Elisabetta Palagi

Rapid facial mimicry (RFM) is an automatic response, in which individuals mimic others' expressions. RFM, only demonstrated in humans and apes, is grounded in the automatic perception-action coupling of sensorimotor information occurring in the mirror neuron system. In humans, RFM seems to reflect the capacity of individuals to empathize with others. Here, we demonstrated that, during play, RFM is also present in a cercopithecoid species (Theropithecus gelada). Mother-infant play sessions were not only characterized by the highest levels of RFM, but also by the fastest responses. Our findings suggest that RFM in humans have homologous not only in apes, but also in cercopitecoids. Moreover, data point to similarities in the modality in which mother-infant synchronous behaviours are expressed among primates, suggesting a common evolutionary root in the basic elements of mother-infant affective exchanges.

ScienceShot: Monkey Smiles Are Contagious

Believe it or not, the gelada monkeys (Theropithecus gelada) on the right may be sharing a good laugh—and possibly the emotions that go along with it. Previously, only humans and orangutans had been shown to quickly and involuntarily mimic the facial expressions of their companions, an ability that seems to be linked to empathy. After spending months observing every playful interaction among the gelada population at Germany's NaturZoo, scientists are ready to add another, more distantly related species to that list. Geladas of all ages were more likely to mimic the play faces of their companions within 1 second of seeing them than they were to respond with a different kind of expression, according to a paper published by the team this week in Scientific Reports. What's more, the fastest and most frequent mimicry responses occurred between mothers and their infant offspring, like the pair pictured on the left. More research is required to determine if geladas are sharing emotional states in addition to facial expressions, but the team suggests that studying the quantity and quality of these mother-child interactions could provide a way forward.

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