Selasa, 04 Desember 2012

Did you know? Orangutan Also turns midlife crisis


Humans are not the only creatures who experience a sense of happiness-related disorders in midlife (commonly often called a midlife crisis), primates were apparently experiencing the same thing. According to a recent report from the Proceedings of the National Academy (PNAS), from a study of about 500 large primates (ie 336 chimpanzees and orangutans 172) note that the pattern of mid-life crisis who are also experienced primates, with similar symptoms as humans.

But that does not mean these primates also negatively what do middle-aged men, for example, dress more smartly, or a flirtatious glance at the young girl. Primate behavior change is more on the pattern of increasing happiness at a young age, and then decreased in middle age, and increased again in old age.

"We hope to understand the pieces of scientific information related to this case, why human happiness follows a U-shaped curve in their lives? Humans have shown that happiness is not related to the affairs of mere money, breaking of a marriage, business mobile phones, or other extra things in life. The same is true for large primates, which can not reveal this and certainly unrelated extra things like a man, "said one of the study's authors, Andrew J. Oswald in their media release.

The experts interviewed zoo keepers, volunteers and researchers are also working closely as possible with the orangutans and chimpanzees to examine their lives. By using a questionnaire that has been modified to primates, the researchers found that primates decreased sense of ease and happy at the end of the twenties and early thirties, compared to men who experienced it at the age between 45 to 50 years. In this questionnaire submitted questions about mood, pleasure in socializing, and how they feel the satisfaction of achieving their goals.

"The results that we obtain show that the curve decreased happiness in middle age not only of humans, although it is very different from the aspect of human life and society, but this proves that humans are biologically the same share with primates," said experts. "These findings have broad implications in science and social science point of view, and can help how to enhance a sense of happiness for humans and primates."

The experts themselves do not fully understand why this cycle appears, but in the later theory was that the changes in the brain at middle age, and cause-penyabab evolutive other, affecting the happiness in youth and old age.

"Individuals either young or old age, can experience satisfaction in life stages, where they have fewer resources to develop themselves, and will be less likely to fight back the situation that could harm them or their relatives," said the expert,



CITATION: Alexander Weiss, James E. King, Miho Inoue-Murayama, Tetsuro Matsuzawa, Andrew J. Oswald. Evidence for a midlife crisis in great apes consistent with the U-shape in human well-being. PNAS. 2012.



Sources: : mongabay

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