Factors shaping socio-emotional trajectories in sanctuary-living bonobos: a longitudinal approach.

Early maternal loss can have lasting detrimental effects on primate social development. While many rehabilitation settings provide enriching environments to buffer against such effects in orphans, previous research indicates that young bonobo () orphans exhibit striking deficiencies in socio-emotional competence compared to their mother-reared peers. However, such studies are generally cross-sectional, without accounting for changes across the lifespan.

The naturalistic approach to laughter in humans and other animals: towards a unified theory.

This opinion piece aims to tackle the biological, psychological, neural and cultural underpinnings of laughter from a naturalistic and evolutionary perspective. A naturalistic account of laughter requires the revaluation of two dogmas of a longstanding philosophical tradition, that is, the quintessential link between laughter and humour, and the uniquely human nature of this behaviour. In the spirit of Provine's and Panksepp's seminal studies, who firstly argued against the anti-naturalistic dogmas, here we review compelling evidence that (i) laughter is first and foremost a social behaviour aimed at regulating social relationships, easing social tensions and establishing social bonds, and that (ii) homologue and homoplasic behaviours of laughter exist in primates and rodents, who also share with humans the same underpinning neural circuitry.

My Fear Is Not, and Never Will Be, Your Fear: On Emotions and Feelings in Animals.

Do nonhuman animals (henceforth, animals) have emotions, and if so, are these similar to ours? This opinion piece aims to add to the recent debate about this question and provides a critical re-evaluation of what can be concluded about animal and human emotions. Emotions, and their cognitive interpretation, i.e.