Great apes reassure one another to maintain the peace Our new study shows that friendly touch before stressful events, like embracing, patting and even kissing, promotes tolerance and peace in chimpanzees and bonobos. Some BBC coverage 🙂 open-access paper below! www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Great Apes kiss and cuddle to keep the peace, says study

Hugging before stressful events may be an ancient way of building trust, say scientists studying apes.

bbc.co.uk

Social structure as a form of collective intelligence In our framework, we argue that social structure is a form of collective intelligence shaped by and shaping individual decision-making Out now in @royalsocietypublishing.org w/ J Brooker, E van Leeuwen royalsocietypublishing.org/rstb/article...

Social structure as a form of collective intelligence: a new framework

Abstract. Collective intelligence arises when group-level cognition exceeds the capabilities of individual members, enabling more effective learning, decis

royalsocietypublishing.org

Great talk by @zannaclay.bsky.social on optimal maternal sensitivity in wild bonobos, presented at @ehbea2026.bsky.social in Leiden, Netherlands. #ehbea2026

Great to speak at the BPS Student conference North-East- giving local high school students a chance to discover where Psychology can take you. I shared about my research on great apes, children and the origins of empathy. Bonobos went down well! @bpsofficial.bsky.social @durhampsych.bsky.social

How do young children respond to others' distress? Using the nifty method of infra-red thermal imaging, we found evidence that the affective building blocks of empathy are already in place from the first years of life Out now! @plosone.org @durhampsych.bsky.social dx.plos.org/10.1371/jour...

How do young children respond to the distress of others? Applying infrared thermography and behavioural analyses to examine the development of emotion contagion and empathy

Empathy is a core feature of the human social experience, underpinned by the sharing of and understanding of others’ states. However, we know relatively little about its early development. Here, we us...

dx.plos.org

I just emailed a work colleague to thank them for something, but rather than writing "Thank you so much" - I signed off "Thank you smooch"! 🫣 not my most professional of sign-offs, darned autotype!

EMPATHY: In a new article out in Behaviour "The Evolutionary & Developmental Origins of Empathy: Honouring Frans de Waal’s Legacy", I consider how processes like mimicry, contagion and early social experiences shape later social-emotional development. #OpenAccess here👉: brill.com/view/journal...

EMPATHY: In a new article out in Behaviour "The Evolutionary & Developmental Origins of Empathy: Honouring Frans de Waal’s Legacy", I consider how processes like mimicry, contagion and early social experiences shape later social-emotional development. #OpenAccess here 👉: brill.com/view/journal...

Empathy spans species and begins early in life. In The Evolutionary & Developmental Origins of Empathy: Honouring Frans de Waal’s Legacy, @zannaclay.bsky.social shows how mimicry, contagion & early social experiences shape later social-emotional development. Read #OpenAccess: doi.org/10.1163/1568...

A new study in @nature.com demonstrates the prevalence of same-sex sexual behaviour in primates (59 species) and its possible ecological and social functions. My comments on the study feature at the end of this coverage in @theguardian.com www.theguardian.com/science/2026...?

Primates’ same-sex sexual behaviour ‘may reinforce bonds amid environmental stress’

Behaviour among non-human species could help keep groups together in face of social challenges, says study

theguardian.com

Next Friday 24th October at 1pm, I will be giving my Inugural Lecture! All are extremely welcome. If you would like to attend online (or in person), please can you complete this form? Then I can send you a meeting link and/or if you'd like the recording forms.gle/UZmAMt5VXNZN...

@zannaclay.bsky.social delivering the first Frans de Waal lecture at #CBEN in Antwerp. Terrific talk on the evolution of empathy and a fantastic homage to Frans de Waal's work and legacy. #evosky #philsky #animalbehaviour 🧪

Woo new paper! Cross-cultural investigation into maternal responses to infant distress How babies are soothed may be more important than how quickly, which vary cross-culturally w/Carlo Vreden & team in #DevelopmentalPsychology! Open-access link + thread 👇 psycnet.apa.org/fulltext/202...

Durham Psychology is hiring! The department is seeking to appoint an Assistant Professor in forensic psychology, woo! Come join us, we're a friendly and vibrant dept and Durham is beautiful! Please see info here and reach out with any Qs. durham.taleo.net/careersectio...

This is one of the best ideas I've heard in ages.

A study by @zannaclay.bsky.social, Carlo Vreden suggests that babies possess a powerful capacity for empathy long before they can walk or talk.As babies grow and develop, this sensitivity can develop into a deeper understanding of others' emotions and the motivation to care for them. 1/2 @psyche.co

Changes in facial skin temperature are measured using thermal imaging, which can help scientists better understand underlying emotional states. Research paper is published in the @psyche.co Image provided by developmental psychologists @zannaclay.bsky.social and Carlo Vreden. 2/2

This looks brilliant topic wise- Though it's a pity that only 2 of the 10 speakers are women. There are so many great women scientists who could have provided excellent contributions for a more balanced programme - @asab.org

HaDi MaBouDi@maboudi.bsky.social · last yr.

Call for Abstracts Extended! 🌟 Join us this September in Sheffield for 'Nature of Intelligence: Bridging Animal & Artificial Intelligence', an ASAB Interdisciplinary Workshop. @asab.org @sheffielduni.bsky.social #ArtificialIntelligence #AnimalCognition #Neuroscience I #AcademicWorkshop #ASAB

What contagious crying and comforting in infants tell us about the roots of emotional connection We wrote a piece in @psyche.co magazine about our research on #empathy in infants @durhampsych.bsky.social psyche.co/ideas/were-l...

WeTransfer just changed their TOS giving themselves permission to train AI on any content you transfer and produce derivative works based on content you transfer that they are allowed to monetize and you are not allowed payment for. Stop using WeTransfer.

Social determinants of health: A reanalysis shows that the link between maternal sociality and infant survival in Amboseli baboons is actually driven by state-dependent changes in maternal social behaviour I missed this when it came out, so sharing in case you did too www.pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1...

Reevaluating the relationship between female sociality and infant survival in wild baboons | PNAS

Over the past few decades, studies have provided strong evidence that the robust links between the social environment, health, and survival found i...

pnas.org

Birds as pride flags, meticulously researched by my wonderful student Griffin ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜 Rainbow flag: Eastern Rosella 📷 David Irving, eBird

Some fancy chocs arrived to thank me for my review for the Branco Weiss Fellowship, very thoughtful The Swiss do things better 😊

Remembering the time I threw a geology-paleontology themed Bday party for the kids. Filled a kiddie pool with sand, real fossils & rocks, then had the kids dig & ID their finds for Geo-Paleo Bingo. Ended by exploding a giant Coke & Mentos volcano at the dig site. 😅 #AcademicParents

Last year, Charity, one of my research assistants in Uganda, faced the terrible life challenge of having her leg amputated. We've been supporting her, but she is now at critical point in her rehabilitation and needs more support. Anything you can give will help www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding...

Help raise £600 to support the recovery journey of Charity, an amputee in Uganda – JustGiving Crowdfunding

Iʼm raising money to support the recovery journey of Charity, an amputee in Uganda. Support this JustGiving Crowdfunding Page.

justgiving.com

🚨 New paper alert 🚨 Collaboration between @yorkpsychology.bsky.social and @durhamdcerc.bsky.social / @durhampsych.bsky.social A longitudinal, cross cultual, study on infant development of concern & comforting: journals.plos.org/plosone/arti... @zannaclay.bsky.social

Early empathy development: Concern and comforting in 9- and 18-month-old infants from Uganda and the UK

Empathy, the capacity to share and understand others’ emotional states, is important for navigating our social lives, yet its development in infancy remains poorly understood. Moreover, most research ...

journals.plos.org

New paper alert!👶🚼 The #crosscultural development of infant #empathy We compared the #development of concern & comforting in 9 and 18m olds from rural Uganda and UK - we found many similarities but also diffs open-access in @PLOSONE ! journals.plos.org/plosone/arti...

Early empathy development: Concern and comforting in 9- and 18-month-old infants from Uganda and the UK

Empathy, the capacity to share and understand others’ emotional states, is important for navigating our social lives, yet its development in infancy remains poorly understood. Moreover, most research ...

journals.plos.org

Here's an article we did for @theconversation.com about our new study looking at #empathy in chimpanzees and bonobos, and why we need to move beyond stereotypes theconversation.com/our-ape-cous...

Our ape cousins show us empathy has deep evolutionary roots – new research

It may be time to move on from species stereotypes.

theconversation.com

Some coverage from the #BBC about our study comparing the empathic tendencies of chimpanzees and bonobos www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Durham Uni study finds chimpanzees more empathetic than assumed

Durham University finds that chimpanzees are as likely to console as the 'more empathic' bonobo.

bbc.co.uk

New paper alert! - number 2 Social contagion underpins key elements of social interaction, including empathy & social learning. Here, we review research on primate social contagion and offer a unifying framework available open-access! 👇👇 w/ Georgia Sandars www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Social contagion in primates: Moderating factors and significance for individuals and the group

Social contagion, which involves behavioural and emotional state matching, is a crucial process for healthy social functioning. In humans as well as o…

sciencedirect.com