Nudge Are we all just status-seeking monkeys?
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Mar 2, 2026 Professor Katie Slocombe, an evolutionary psychologist who studies wild chimpanzee behaviour to illuminate human social evolution, discusses how chimps use vocal signals, tactical screams and grooming to build alliances and climb hierarchies. She compares field and captive methods, shows evidence of intentional signalling, and draws parallels between primate and human status-seeking.
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Chimp Similarities Reveal Human Origins
- Chimps share many cognitive traits with humans, so shared behaviors likely trace to a common ancestor.
- Katie Slocombe explains similarities let researchers infer ancient abilities by comparing chimps and humans in the wild.
Female Used Deceptive Screams To Recruit Protectors
- A female in oestrus screamed deceptively to recruit higher-ranking males when a low-ranking male approached.
- Katie recorded screams and found individuals exaggerate screams when a potential helper is present, showing tactical deception.
Power Brings Tangible Benefits In Chimp Society
- Power yields concrete benefits: better feeding spots, mating priority, more offspring, and physiological advantages from grooming.
- High rank translates to calorific food, meat access, mating success, and reduced stress via grooming.