第3118期:Chimpanzees build trust through touch

Anyone who watches team sports may be familiar with the sight of players joining a huddle before a big match. Researchers studying chimpanzees and bonobos in African sanctuaries found our closest ape relatives do something similar before feeding time, one of the most competitive moments in their day.

经常观看团队体育比赛的人，对赛前队员们围成一圈加油打气的场景应该不会陌生。在非洲多家灵长类动物保护区研究黑猩猩和倭黑猩猩的科研人员们发现，这些与人类亲缘关系最近的类人猿在喂食时间前也会有类似的举动。喂食时间是它们一天中竞争最激烈的时刻之一。

As they waited for food, the apes touched, embraced and sometimes kissed one another. Those with the most reassuring physical interactions were more likely to feed peacefully alongside others.

在等待食物时，这些类人猿会彼此接触、拥抱，有时还会亲吻。那些在进食前进行较多安抚性身体接触的个体，更有可能与同伴一起和睦地进食。

The researchers believe this behaviour may date back at least seven million years, suggesting that using touch to build trust and cooperation is an ancient social skill shared by humans and great apes alike.

研究人员认为，这种行为或能追溯到至少 700 万年前，表明通过肢体接触来建立信任和合作关系是人类和大型类人猿共同拥有的一项古老的社交技能。