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> interesting how much of what we consider "human nature" is just us reacting to the cages we put ourselves in?

Or that we aren't dogs. Chimpanzees do have an alpha male who commonly achieves his role through violence.



Humans can also exhibit behaviors closer to those of Bonobos.

https://www.nature.com/articles/nature11128


But their (Chimpanzees') social dynamics aren’t solely based on violence


> their (Chimpanzees') social dynamics aren’t solely based on violence

Correct. A book on Chimpanzees was connected to human nature by a reviewer in the Chicago Tribune, a 1999 Time article and the obviously totally-scientific pick-up book The Game [1].

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpha_and_beta_male


not solely through violence. alpha chimps are often big, but not necessarily the biggest.

best way I've heard it explained: the alpha chimp usually does the most grooming of other chimps of any of the males in the troop.

they're out there making deals and building relationships. tough guys can try to overpower those so the top chimp also gotta be tough enough to stand up, but it's as much about relationships as it is about muscles




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