Ep62 Elisabetta Palagi on comparative research, primates, animal friendships, and play
Elisabetta Palagi is an Associate Professor at the University of Pisa, whose research focuses on social and sexual behaviour, and mechanisms underlining empathy such as rapid facial mimicry and emotional contagion.
Elisabetta shares a short story of growing up on a farm, of chickens and other animals, her early interest in animal behaviour, and a wise lesson by her grandmother.
She shares her start in academia, being a student at the University of Pisa, and completing her PhD in evolutionary biology. After her studies she continued at the University of Pisa, in the role of mammal curator at the museum of natural history, expanding her views on animal behaviour through zoology.
She shares her collaboration with the Pistoia Zoo where she studied lemurs. After great apes, wolves, hyenas, sea lions, and others, both in the wild and under human care.
Elisabetta discusses aspects of her and collaborative research on animal friendships, focusing on individuals, agonistic support, relationship quality, body contact, and cohesiveness.
Elisabetta discusses the importance of comparative research, considering different approaches focussing on social similarities and phylogeny, homologous traits, or evolutionary convergence.
She discusses peace and reconciliation in different species, with specific examples on consolation, concern, comforting each other, egoism, and altruism, in different species.
Elisabetta also shares a great story on breaking the ice and grooming, using a very Italian custom of ‘aperitivo’.
Social play, explanations of immediate and delayed play, rough and tumble play, social tolerance, and adult play, as well as managing xenophobia by playing, and when play is a family business: adult play, hierarchy, and possible stress reduction in common marmosets are covered.
"…to celebrate the arrival of food, about 20 minutes before food arrival, chimpanzees increase their grooming behaviour, and in bonobos we found a peak in play behaviour…leaving the animals more relaxed before the food arrives, reducing levels of aggression and solving levels of distrust.”
Elisabetta discusses her collaborative book “The Missing Lemur Link: an Ancestral Step in Human Evolution” and concludes the podcast with a story of her travel to Madagascar and hearing the singing of an Indri and the deep experience of being in this marvellous environment.
Google Scholar
PLAY AND THE EVOLUTION OF CREATIVE SOCIETIES
Song of the Indri lemur
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