Are Men Similar To Bonobos And Chimps

Pulse

oi-Staff

By Staff

Wednesday, June 30, 2010, 18:16

Researchers from Duke and Harvard university say that an average men undergo hormonal changes similar to a bonobo. While a competitive man experiences the hormonal changes like a chimpanzee.

Chimpanzees are more dominant and aggressive, while bonobos are more flexible. When confronted chimpanzee show an aggressive behaviour but bonobos are stressed.

The reason for this change in behaviour was because chimps secreted testosterone, in case of bonobos it was cortisol. Testosterone prepares one to compete or to be aggressive but cortisol is related to stress and social strategies.

The study says that men are similar to these bonobos or chimps. The behavioural changes in a man too are similar when they are confronted.

A unique factor which differs men from chimps or bonobos is that, a man experiences a high level of testosterone when he wins and a decrease in the level when he loses.

"It's exciting because we can see that in some ways we are similar to bonobos, in others we are similar to chimpanzees," said Duke anthropologist Brian Hare, co-author.

Hence the researchers have confirmed the 'Darwin's Theory' with this study.