New research indicates that some animals use small talk for socialization, a trait that was possibly passed down from primates, according to Science Daily.
Researchers with Princeton University studied ringtailed lemurs living in groups. They discovered that although the lemurs conducted typical grooming rituals for socialization, their use of vocalizations was saved for more closely bonded peers.
"Our results indicate that when animals respond to each other's vocalizations, they are in fact also working on maintaining their social bonds," said first author Ipek Kulahci. "By exchanging vocalizations, the animals are reinforcing their social bonds even when they are away from each other."
The research, published in the journal Animal Behaviour, suggests there is a similarity in the way humans and primates communicate.
"This social selectivity in vocalizations is almost equivalent to how we humans keep in regular touch with our close friends and families, but not with everyone we know," added Kulahci.
Co-author Asif Ghazanfar believes that the way we create small talk is very similar to the somewhat primitive way animals use vocalizations.
"I think these vocalizations are equivalent to the chitchat that we do," said Ghazanfar. "People think that conversations are like exchanging mini-lectures full of information. But most of the time we have conversations and forget them when we're done because they're performing a purely social function."
