Bonobos and chimps express empathy much like humans

Empathy is often seen as a defining human trait, woven into the fabric of our societies. It helps people cooperate, build friendships, and resolve conflicts. But empathy is not unique to humans. Across the animal kingdom, from elephants to the bonobos, behaviors hint at emotional connections that transcend species boundaries.

Recent research from Durham University in the UK delves into how two of our closest living relatives — the bonobo and the chimpanzee — express empathy, challenging long-held assumptions and deepening our understanding of emotional evolution.

This study does more than just compare species. It explores how individual personalities, social bonds, and community structures shape emotional behaviors. Led by Dr. Jake Brooker, the research opens a new chapter in the story of human and primate empathy.

Bonobos and chimps show similar empathy

Traditionally, bonobos have enjoyed a reputation as the “empathic ape,” while chimpanzees have been cast as aggressive and political. However, Brooker’s study found that both species comfort others at similar rates.

Observations spanned 1,400 hours, covering 40 bonobos at the Lola ya Bonobo sanctuary in the Democratic Republic of Congo and 50 chimpanzees at the Chimfunshi Wildlife Orphanage in Zambia.

Researchers focused on how individuals reacted to distress events like fights, recording spontaneous gestures of consolation, including embracing, hand grasping, and soothing touches.

“For a long time, bonobos have been thought of as the more empathic ape, whilst chimpanzees are typically spoken about as the violent, despotic ape. However, we found that chimpanzees are just as likely to console one another as bonobos,” said Dr. Brooker.

Young apes offer comfort more often

Age played a significant role in consolation patterns. Younger apes were more likely to offer comfort compared to their older counterparts, a trend observed across both species.

In bonobos, young individuals actively both consoled and received consolation. In chimpanzees, young males and close social partners were the primary sources of comfort. These findings echo observations in human children, who often show concern for others even before their first birthday.

The study suggests that emotional sensitivity emerges early and may diminish as individuals mature and navigate complex social hierarchies. Dr. Brooker’s team highlighted that empathy is likely intrinsic rather than solely learned through experience.

What drives empathy in bonobos?

One of the standout discoveries was the role of social relationships. Among bonobos, kinship mattered deeply. Individuals were far more likely to console relatives than non-kin. In contrast, chimpanzees prioritized close social bonds over genetic ties when offering comfort.

“Although empathy is very important for our own species, our findings show that empathic behaviours, like consolation, appear to be a common trait we also share with our two closest ape relatives,” said Professor Zanna Clay, senior author of the study.

This highlights an important point: empathy is not only about feeling another’s distress but is also influenced by relational closeness, just as it is among humans.

Emotional flexibility within ape communities

Variation within species eclipsed differences between species. Some groups showed stronger tendencies toward consolation based on their unique social environments.

For instance, young male chimpanzees were especially active in consoling peers but became less so with age, suggesting social ambition could influence empathic behavior during development.

In bonobos, higher-ranked individuals were more likely to console, while lower-ranked members appeared more restrained.

“Just like humans, bonobos and chimpanzees may flexibly show empathy depending on the individual, the group, and the surrounding social culture,” Dr. Brooker noted.

This points to a flexible empathy that shifts according to social conditions and personal traits.

Empathy depends more on social context

The study also connects behavioral trends with biological differences. Previous research shows bonobos have more serotonergic fibers in the amygdala, a brain region crucial for emotion regulation. They also possess genetic differences associated with social bonding tendencies.

Despite these neurological distinctions, this study found no overarching difference in the likelihood of consolation between the two species. Empathy-related behaviors appeared instead to be more responsive to social and individual contexts.

This finding challenges ideas that neurobiology alone can predict empathic tendencies. Instead, it emphasizes how emotional expressions are shaped within dynamic social landscapes.

Consolation reflect deep evolutionary roots

The behavior of bonobos and chimpanzees adds to a growing body of evidence showing that empathy has ancient evolutionary origins. Consolation behaviors similar to those seen in apes have been documented in elephants, rodents, and even some bird species.

“Finding these overlaps between our two close cousins suggests our last common ancestor likely showed these empathic capacities too. A next step will be to see how much these patterns are also observed in other settings, particularly in the wild,” said Dr. Clay.

This evolutionary perspective deepens our understanding of where human empathy might have originated and suggests that the roots of our emotional lives are much older than previously thought.

Ape empathy in wild natural settings

One of the major recommendations from this study is the need for broader, cross-setting comparisons. Sanctuaries offer semi-natural environments, but understanding how these behaviors manifest in wild populations will be crucial.

Studying more communities could reveal how local conditions, cultural traditions, and ecological pressures influence the expression of consolation and empathy.

Future research could also explore how demographic factors, such as the presence of juveniles or social network complexity, shape emotional responses in different communities.

The Durham team plans to pursue such questions to build a richer picture of emotional evolution. They believe that understanding emotional flexibility among our closest relatives will illuminate important aspects of human nature itself.

Empathy is shaped by social lives

Brooker’s study redefines how we think about empathy in our closest relatives. It challenges outdated notions of species-wide emotional profiles and shows that individual differences and social environments hold the key.

Both bonobos and chimpanzees can express profound empathy, but how, when, and to whom they show it depends on who they are and the world they live in. Just like humans, their emotional lives are complex, dynamic, and deeply social.

The research was funded by the Templeton World Charity Foundation and sets the stage for a new wave of empathy studies across the animal kingdom.

The study is published in the journal Evolution and Human Behavior.

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