According to new research at University of St Andrews, primates are strongly influenced by their peer's behaviors just like human.
For the study, 109 vervet monkeys living in groups at the Mawana private game reserve in South Africa were given a choice of food tinted pink or blue by the researchers.
One color for each group was tainted with aloe to give it a harmless bad flavor. After several meals, the food was no longer tainted, but the monkeys still didn't eat the color they thought was bad.
The researchers discovered that monkeys promptly became used to the colors and even when both were made to taste the same, all the vervets decided to opt for the "yummy" blue corn.
“We’re not as unique as we would like to think,” said monkey study lead author Erica van de Waal of the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. “We can find many of the roots of our behaviors in animals.”
"As the saying goes, 'When in Rome, do as the Romans do,'" said co-author Andrew Whiten in the St Andrews press release. "Our findings suggest that a willingness to conform to what all those around you are doing when you visit a different culture is a disposition share by other primates."
The social pressure may be like “teenagers with a desperate need to be just like the other guys,” Andrew added.
Researchers said the single monkey who continued to select the same color as in his original group was maybe the top rank in his new group, a factor that mayexplain his nonconformist behavior.
The study was published in the journal, Science.
