Orangutans prefer food linked to laughter, study finds — SkimNews
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- Erica Cartmill and colleagues found that captive orangutans preferred a food treat buried under a substance they had learned to associate with the sound of peers laughing.
- The study, involving six orangutans, showed four of the six apes clearly preferred the bowl linked to the laughter soundtrack over one linked to environmental sounds.
- Cartmill said the findings suggest an animal's emotional state during learning can influence how it values and remembers information later.
- Dr Adriano Lameira, a primatologist not involved in the work, described the results as fascinating, likening it to the apes thinking 'I will have what they are having.'
- The research is part of a larger project exploring whether animals feel joy and the implications of those emotions for cognition and learning.
- Cartmill added the findings could apply to human education, where a student's mood while learning might affect how they value that subject in the future.
Why it matters: The research challenges the view of emotion and rational thought as separate, showing a positive emotional state can enhance the perceived value of learned information in orangutans. This has direct implications for animal welfare and enrichment in captivity, and suggests mood could be a lever for improving educational outcomes in humans.
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