The relationship between children and their caregivers is crucial for emotional and social development, but does the same apply to our closest evolutionary relatives? A new international study suggests that it does, but with the difference that chimpanzees do not suffer from harmful attachment.
Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology (Germany) found that wild chimpanzees also grow up in stable family environments that favor their survival.
The research, published in Nature Human Behaviour, analyzed the behavior of young chimpanzees in the Taï National Park in Ivory Coast for four years. They discovered that, like humans, young chimpanzees develop different attachment styles towards their mothers: some more secure and others more avoidant, but all adaptive.
What was striking was the total absence of a type of bond frequently observed in humans and chimpanzees raised in captivity: disorganized attachment. This pattern, which affects 23.5% of children and 61% of orphaned chimpanzees in human environments, is associated with fear of the caregiver, emotional confusion, and future mental health difficulties.
Nature vs. captivity: an environment that makes a difference
The study’s lead author, Eléonore Rolland, explained that they did not find any signs of disorganized attachment in wild specimens. “This supports the idea that this type of attachment is not an adaptive survival strategy in natural conditions,” she stated.
The researchers argue that this type of bond could be a product of artificial contexts or interrupted rearing, rather than a biological characteristic.
The study also provides a reflection on contemporary human parenting. If in a natural environment bonds tend to be more secure, are our current practices aligned with children’s emotional needs? The research suggests that perhaps some modern childcare structures have moved away from what would be more favorable for healthy development.
The authors conclude that the findings not only highlight the similarities between chimpanzees and humans but also emphasize the fundamental role of the environment in the formation of emotional bonds, by revealing that chimpanzees do not suffer from harmful attachment. Once again, nature seems to offer valuable lessons to rethink our own ways of raising.
Emotions are part of them
Various research has shown that chimpanzees have the ability to experience complex emotions. These primates not only show joy, sadness, or fear but can also experience empathy, comfort, and attachment, especially within their closest social bonds. Interactions between mothers and offspring, for example, reveal protective, comforting, and affectionate behaviors similar to those observed in humans.
In situations of grief, it was observed that chimpanzees show clear signs of distress at the loss of a group member, such as staying close to the deceased body, touching it gently, or showing expressions of sadness. Additionally, in moments of social tension or conflict, some individuals act as “mediators” to restore peace, suggesting a degree of emotional understanding of the environment and the internal states of others.
These manifestations not only reflect instinctive responses but also an emotional intelligence that allows chimpanzees to avoid harmful attachments and adapt better to their social environment.
The ability to identify and respond to the emotions of others helps strengthen bonds within the group and can be key to their survival in nature. This reinforces the idea that emotions are not exclusive to humans but an evolutionarily shared part with other primates.
