Study: Chimps calm each other with hugs, kisses

June 16, 2008 By RANDOLPH E. SCHMID , AP Science Writer Study: Chimps calm each other with hugs, kisses

Chimpanzees play with a pumpkin with a Halloween face at Sydney\'s Taronga Zoo in this 2005 file photo. Researchers say chimps use hugs and kisses to console each other. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)

(AP) -- For most folks, a nice hug and some sympathy can help a bit after we get pushed around. Turns out, chimpanzees use hugs and kisses the same way. And it works. Researchers studying people's closest genetic relatives found that stress was reduced in chimps that were victims of aggression if a third chimp stepped in to offer consolation.

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Vierotchka - Jun 16, 2008
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Hardly surprising - after all, humans are simians and belong to the Greater Apes group.
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