# Great Apes Kiss and Cuddle to Maintain Peace, Study Finds Research shows that apes comfort each other during stressful situations. - **Source:** [BBC News](https://brifing.si/source/647b890e-c85e-45b8-9588-ccfecdec4a99) - **Published:** 2026-07-21 - **Topic:** [Business](https://brifing.si/c/business) - **Original article:** - **On Brifing:** https://brifing.si/s/d240d819-5c43-4af9-9e3b-0beb9cd21c12 ## How Apes Cope with Stress Scientists discovered that chimpanzees and bonobos use behaviors like touching, hugging, and kissing to comfort each other during stressful situations. These behaviors are particularly common before food conflicts. ## Surprising Findings The study observed that even chimpanzees, known for their aggression, engaged in close contact, such as placing fingers in each other's mouths. These behaviors enhance trust and cooperation. ## Experimental Setup Researchers designed an experiment mimicking natural feeding processes in sanctuaries in Congo and Zambia. Apes exhibited comforting behaviors like touching and hugging in the five minutes before food arrived. ## The Impact of Touch Individuals who touched and hugged were more likely to access food and eat peacefully together. More tolerant groups showed higher levels of 'reassurance trains,' where multiple apes hugged in succession. ## Evolutionary Origins Researchers suggest that using touch to build trust and cooperation dates back at least seven million years. These behaviors form the foundation of social tools humans use in stressful situations. ## Reflections on Human Behavior Human behaviors like forming a football huddle or hugging teammates before a stressful event may be part of a social heritage millions of years old. This study sheds light on the evolutionary roots of social behaviors. ## Sources covering this story - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5y045vprg5o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss — --- _Summary written by Brifing from the original reporting. Copyright in the original article belongs to its publisher; read the full piece at the link above._