Research indicates that as monkeys age, becoming less sociable may help them avoid illness. Â
Research indicates that as monkeys age, becoming less sociable may help them avoid illness.
Numerous animals, humans included, undergo a process termed “social ageing,” which refers to a decrease in social interactions as they grow older. However, the reasons behind this phenomenon are still not entirely understood.
This recent study, conducted by the universities of Exeter and Edinburgh, utilized extensive data from rhesus macaques living on Cayo Santiago, often referred to as Monkey Island.
The researchers discovered that older macaques tend to experience fewer infectious diseases, primarily due to their diminished social circles.
This research is featured in a special issue of Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, edited by Professor Lauren Brent from the University of Exeter.
“While social connections offer significant advantages across various species, they also bring certain risks, including exposure to infectious diseases,” explained Dr. Erin Siracusa from Exeter’s Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour.
“The balancing act between benefits and costs can shift throughout an individual’s life, leading to alterations in social behaviors.
“Although older individuals might be more vulnerable to illnesses, once we adjusted for that in our analysis, we observed that older macaques incurred lower illness-related costs compared to younger ones.
“Our results provide compelling insight into why many species, including humans, may choose to lessen their social relationships as they advance in age.”
The advantages gained from this social ageing in macaques were contingent on the specific diseases involved.
Predictably, these advantages were most pronounced in scenarios with highly contagious diseases that posed greater risks to older individuals.
Dr. Matthew Silk from the University of Edinburgh commented, “Our findings suggest that illness may play a role in why social ageing occurs, and we are eager to explore this further in upcoming studies.”
The research received partial funding from the National Institutes of Health along with Dr. Silk’s Royal Society University Research Fellowship.
The study is titled: “Social ageing can protect against infectious disease in a group-living primate.”
The special journal issue is named: “Understanding age and society using natural populations.”
