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Bonobo personality predicts friendship.
Jonas Verspeek1,2, Nicky Staes3,4,5, Edwin J C van Leeuwen3,4,6
1Behavioural Ecology and Ecophysiology Group, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium. jonas.verspeek@uantwerpen.be.
Scientific Reports
|December 19, 2019
Summary
Bonobo social bonds are influenced by personality similarity. Similar sociability enhances relationship value, while similar activity levels decrease compatibility, impacting social dynamics in these apes.
Area of Science:
- Primate behavior and social cognition.
- Animal behavior and ethology.
- Evolutionary psychology.
Background:
- Strong social bonds in bonobos, particularly between unrelated females and mothers and sons, offer fitness advantages.
- Traditionally, age, sex, and kinship explain social bond strength.
- Personality's role in bonobo social bonding remains understudied.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of personality similarity on dyadic relationship quality in bonobos.
- To identify personality traits and relationship quality components in bonobos.
- To determine if personality similarity influences bonobo social bond strength.
Main Methods:
- Behavioral observations of 39 adult and adolescent bonobos across 5 European zoos.
- Multidimensional personality assessment (Sociability, Openness, Boldness, Activity).
- Analysis of relationship quality components (value, compatibility).
Main Results:
- Relationship quality is associated with personality similarity, beyond relatedness and sex.
- Similarity in Sociability positively correlates with higher relationship values.
- Similarity in Activity levels is linked to lower relationship compatibility.
Conclusions:
- Personality similarity is a significant factor in bonobo social bond formation.
- Specific personality traits differentially affect relationship value and compatibility.
- Findings contribute to understanding social bonding mechanisms in anthropoid apes and inform future comparative studies.
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