Facially expressive monkeys make better leaders

Monkeys with more expressive facial expressions make better leaders, study claims

Monkeys with more expressive facial expressions have a more tolerant leadership style, new research suggests.

Scientists found that in groups where the leader had more expressive facial expressions, there were better social connections.

The study published in the Royal Society journal, Proceedings B looked at the lives of 66 rhesus macaques.

The study suggests that having a wide range of expressions - which include lip smacking, nose wrinkling, jaw dropping, brow raising and ear flattening - can help monkey leaders communicate better by making clear what they want and reducing uncertainty.

Humans share the same common ancestor as primates like the rhesus macaques and have many of the same characteristics.

Bridget Waller, professor of evolution and social behaviour at Nottingham Trent University (NTU) and research project lead, said: "Humans have evolved incredibly expressive faces with highly complex facial musculature, and these findings help us understand what advantage this has provided over evolutionary time."

Monkeys are social animals and use their faces to communicate things like dominance and the desire to play.

Researchers analysed more than 130 hours of footage gathered from nine groups of monkeys kept at the Medical Research Council's Centre for Macaques (CFM) in Salisbury.

Each group had one adult male, several adult females, and their young offspring.

The researchers looked at the facial muscle movements of each monkey, tracking 17 different types of expressions, which also included ear movements and mouth stretches.

Rhesus Macaques monkeys are social animals

Male monkeys with a wider range of facial expressions were found to be more socially connected and had more central positions within their networks, the researchers said.

Social connectivity was also more evenly distributed in these groups, they added.

According to the team, the findings suggest increased facial communication is associated with more tolerant leadership styles in male monkeys.

Dr Jamie Whitehouse, research fellow at NTU's School of Social Sciences and lead author, said:

"Facially expressive individuals may be better equipped to build and maintain strong social connections, potentially leading to the range of benefits associated with group cohesion, such as increased access to resources, mating opportunities, and protection from threats."