By Alice Klein.
Rhesus macaques that are more social have larger brain regions.
Adult rhesus macaques with bigger social circles have enlarged brain regions associated with social decision-making and bonding.
rhesus macaques and people live in large, complex social networks. The cognitive demands of navigating these networks are thought to have contributed to the large brain size of primate, but less is known about the influence on internal brain structures.
The University of Pennsylvania and their colleagues studied the relationship between the number of social partners and the brain structure of 103 rhesus macaques in Puerto Rico.
The monkeys were given food and water but left to their own devices so they could socialize.
The researchers counted how many social partners each adult monkey had, including friends and family members, by observing how many others they groomed or were groomed by over a three-month period. Some monkeys had a lot of social partners while others didn't.
When the monkeys died, the researchers removed their brains and scanned them to measure their brain volumes.
The mid-superior temporal sulcus and the ventral-dysgranular insula were found to be larger in adults with more social partners.
The mid-superior temporal sulcus has been shown to be involved in social decision-making.
The insula is thought to be involved in bonding. One study that stimulated this region in monkeys found that they made friendly lip-smacking gestures.
Babies with more social contact had no differences in brain structures as they got older.
There is evidence that having more friends can change brain structure. One study found that the number of Facebook friends correlated with grey matter density in brain regions associated with social behavior.
Testard says how many friends you have and who they are determine the rest of your social landscape.
Social connectedness is seen as a key driver of primate success. Male Chimpanzees with larger friend networks have been found to sire more offspring, while adolescent humans with better social integration have lower blood pressure, inflammation and body mass index.
There is a lot of literature on the importance of social relationships for primates.
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