Reciprocal Affiliation Among Adolescent Rats During a Mild Group Stressor Predicts Mammary Tumors and Lifespan

Yee, Jason R.; Cavigelli, Sonia A.; Delgado, Bertha; McClintock, Martha K.

doi:10.1097/psy.0b013e31818425fb

Cited by 80 publications

(79 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…In humans, social support is correlated with better physical and mental health as well as lower mortality risks (37)(38)(39)(40). Similar kinds of findings are accumulating for a range of nonhuman species, including rodents (41,42), dolphins (43), wild horses (44), female baboons (45)(46)(47), and male macaques (48).…”

Section: Phylogenetic Foundations Of Human Altruismsupporting

confidence: 49%

Evolutionary foundations of human prosocial sentiments

Silk

House²

2011

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

161

116

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A growing body of evidence shows that humans are remarkably altruistic primates. Food sharing and division of labor play an important role in all human societies, and cooperation extends beyond the bounds of close kinship and networks of reciprocating partners. In humans, altruism is motivated at least in part by empathy and concern for the welfare of others. Although altruistic behavior is well-documented in other primates, the range of altruistic behaviors in other primate species, including the great apes, is much more limited than it is in humans. Moreover, when altruism does occur among other primates, it is typically limited to familiar group members-close kin, mates, and reciprocating partners. This suggests that there may be fundamental differences in the social preferences that motivate altruism across the primate order, and there is currently considerable interest in how we came to be such unusual apes. A body of experimental studies designed to examine the phylogenetic range of prosocial sentiments and behavior is beginning to shed some light on this issue. In experimental settings, chimpanzees and tamarins do not consistently take advantage of opportunities to deliver food rewards to others, although capuchins and marmosets do deliver food rewards to others in similar kinds of tasks. Although chimpanzees do not satisfy experimental criteria for prosociality in food delivery tasks, they help others complete tasks to obtain a goal. Differences in performance across species and differences in performance across tasks are not yet fully understood and raise new questions for further study.prosocial preferences | punishment | fairness

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Section: Phylogenetic Foundations Of Human Altruismsupporting

confidence: 49%

Evolutionary foundations of human prosocial sentiments

Silk

House²

2011

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

161

116

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“…Rats also increase huddling behaviors after administration of the oxytocinergic stimulant ( ± )-3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, 'Ecstasy')-which in humans increases feelings of closeness to others and a desire to interact socially (Dumont and Verkes, 2006;Ramos et al, 2013). Such affiliative social contact in rats has been linked to several health benefits, such as increased cancer resistance and reduced early all-cause mortality (Yee et al, 2008). Similarly in humans, affiliative physical contact and social support powerfully influence health and life expectancy (House et al, 1988;Taylor, 2011).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Moderate Stress-Induced Social Bonding and Oxytocin Signaling are Disrupted by Predator Odor in Male Rats

Muroy

Long

Kaufer

et al. 2016

Neuropsychopharmacol

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In times of stress, social support can serve as a potent buffering mechanism that enhances resilience. In humans, stress can promote protective affiliative interactions and prosocial behavior. Yet, stress also precipitates psychopathologies characterized by social withdrawal such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression. The factors that drive adaptive vs maladaptive social responses to stress are not yet clear. Rodent studies have focused on pair-bonded, opposite-sex mates and suggest that a variety of stressors can induce social support-like behaviors. However, between same-sex conspecifics-particularly males-stress effects on social bonding are less understood and often associated with aggression and social unrest. We thus sought to investigate if a moderate stressor-3 h of acute immobilizationimpacts social-support behaviors differently when experienced in a neutral vs more innately threatening context (ie, paired with predator odor). We found that moderate stress increased social support-seeking behavior in rat cagemates and facilitated long-term sharing of a limited water resource, decreased aggression, and strongly defined dominance ranks (an indicator of home cage stability). In contrast, experiencing the same stressor in the presence of predator odor eliminated the positive behavioral effects of moderate stress. Importantly, hypothalamic oxytocin (OT) signaling increased coincident with stress in a neutral-but not a predator odor-context. Our results define a novel rodent model of divergent stress effects on social affiliation and OT signaling dependent on odor context with particularly strong relevance to stress-related disorders such as PTSD, which are characterized by a disrupted ability to seek and maintain social bonds.

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“…[1][2][3][4][5]. Among baboons, females who establish close, enduring grooming relationships with others have greater longevity and offspring survival (6)(7)(8).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Variation in personality and fitness in wild female baboons

Seyfarth¹,

Silk

Cheney

2012

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

107

104

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Studies of personality in nonhuman primates have usually relied on assessments by humans and seldom considered the function of the resulting "trait" classifications. In contrast, we applied exploratory principal component analysis to seven behaviors among 45 wild female baboons over 7 y to determine whether the personality dimensions that emerged were associated with measures of reproductive success. We identified three relatively stable personality dimensions, each characterized by a distinct suite of behaviors that were not redundant with dominance rank or the availability of kin. Females scoring high on the "Nice" dimension were friendly to all females and often grunted to lower-ranking females to signal benign intent. "Aloof" females were aggressive, less friendly, and grunted primarily to higher-ranking females. "Loner" females were often alone, relatively unfriendly, and also grunted most often to higher-ranking females. Aloof and Loner females were rarely approached by others. Personality dimensions were correlated in different ways with three measures previously shown to be associated with fitness: stress levels and two behavioral indices reflecting the closeness of dyadic bonds formed by individuals. Females who scored high on Nice had high composite sociality indices (CSI) and stable partner preferences, whereas females who scored high on Aloof had lower CSI scores but significantly more stable partner preferences. Loner females had significantly lower CSI scores, less stable partner preferences, and significantly higher glucocorticoid levels. It remains to be determined which of the Nice or Aloof personality dimensions is more adaptive, or whether variation is maintained by contrasting effects on fitness.I t is now clear that individuals in many animal species vary in their degree of sociality, and that this variation is associated with fitness (e.g., refs. 1-5). Among baboons, females who establish close, enduring grooming relationships with others have greater longevity and offspring survival (6-8). Females also experience lower stress levels when their grooming networks are focused rather than diffuse (9). Interestingly, however, variation in the strength of social bonds is not well explained by obvious demographic attributes, like dominance rank or the availability of kin. Although females establish their closest bonds with kin, kin vary in the strength of their bonds, and some females without kin establish close bonds with others. It therefore seems likely that some individuals are more motivated or skilled than others at establishing and maintaining social bonds. In other words, variation in patterns of affiliation that are correlated with fitness may result in large part from variation in personality styles.There is mounting evidence that personality traits in animals are biologically meaningful. Personality traits influence behaviors as diverse as dispersal, mate choice, nest defense, and helping behavior in insects, fish, birds, and mammals (e.g., refs. 10-16). However, little attention has b...

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Reciprocal Affiliation Among Adolescent Rats During a Mild Group Stressor Predicts Mammary Tumors and Lifespan

Cited by 80 publications

References 51 publications

Evolutionary foundations of human prosocial sentiments

Evolutionary foundations of human prosocial sentiments

Moderate Stress-Induced Social Bonding and Oxytocin Signaling are Disrupted by Predator Odor in Male Rats

Variation in personality and fitness in wild female baboons

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