Social curiosity starts young and helps us survive

Ever found yourself glued to a playground spat, wondering what started it? You’re not alone. This common habit reflects our natural social curiosity, a deeply rooted instinct we share with chimpanzees.

A new cross-species study shows both children and chimpanzees enjoy watching social scenes more than solo performances, even when there’s something to lose.

Researchers found that curiosity about social life isn’t uniquely human. It likely helped our species build trust, choose allies, and survive in group settings.

Young minds and social curiosity

The study tested 94 children aged 4 to 6 and 27 chimpanzees living at the Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary.

The researchers used two boxes, each showing a video: one with a social interaction (like grooming, playing, or arguing), and another with an individual acting alone. Both kids and chimps spent more time with the social videos.

Statistical models showed strong effects. Chimpanzees watched social videos an average of 6.97 seconds, compared to 4.19 seconds for nonsocial ones.

Kids showed an even stronger pattern, watching social videos for about 14 seconds versus just under 10 for the nonsocial ones.

Study lead author Dr. Laura Simone Lewis is an expert in developmental and evolutionary psychology at the University of California in Santa Barbara.

“After years of observing both children and chimpanzees sometimes jumping up in the middle of research games to observe their peers, the research team was inspired to pursue a new social avenue in the blossoming field of curiosity research,” noted Dr. Lewis.

Social info over rewards

The second experiment tested if participants would pay a cost for curiosity. For chimps, that meant giving up jackfruit seeds. For kids, it meant skipping a chance to earn marbles. Some, especially younger kids and male chimps, chose the social videos over the rewards.

The study showed 4-year-old children stayed longer at the video box in the social condition, while older children preferred the reward. Male chimps spent over 7.6 seconds watching the social video, significantly more than in the no-info condition.

“These findings mean social curiosity emerges early in human development and is shared with one of our closest living cousins, the chimpanzees,” said Dr. Lewis.

“Our strong interest in the lives of others, think gossip magazines and celebrity shows, seems to have deep evolutionary roots in our great ape lineage.”

Negative or positive? Age and gender matter

In the third experiment, researchers tested interest in positive versus negative social content. Positive videos showed playing and grooming. Negative ones featured arguments or crying.

Chimpanzees didn’t care much either way. But in children, patterns emerged with age and gender.

Younger boys watched more positive interactions. Older boys preferred negative ones. Girls, by contrast, leaned more toward positive content as they aged.

“This study tells us that curiosity about what others are doing, what you might call being a bit nosey, starts young and runs deep,” noted study co-author Dr. Esther Herrmann.

“It’s probably something that helps not only us but also our closest living relatives to survive and thrive in complex social groups.”

Social curiosity helps us survive

Social curiosity has clear benefits. It helps identify allies, threats, and opportunities without risk. Watching others helps us learn who to trust, what behaviors lead to success, and how relationships shift.

Children and chimps weren’t just seeking stimulation. They were seeking information. One possible reason is that a video with two agents contains more data than a solo video. Observers learn about both individuals and their relationship.

The study also suggests that male chimps may be more attentive to conflicts because they initiate the majority of them in the wild. Female chimps, who generally avoid conflict, showed less interest in aggressive videos.

What comes next?

The researchers suggest testing curiosity across different cultures, ages, and other great apes like bonobos or orangutans.

Future work could explore how social roles, friendships, or dominance influence curiosity. Larger samples of young chimpanzees could also help compare developmental trajectories.

Curiosity is a tool that helps us build friendships, avoid danger, and understand the social web we live in. Whether at a zoo or on a playground, curiosity serves the same goal: making sense of the world through others.

The study is published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences.

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