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Baboons and Humans Both Suffer from Hierarchy-Related Stress

abcnews.go.com — Baboons are aggressive, mean-spirited and wild. And when it comes to stress, apparently they are just like humans. Neurobiologist Robert Sapolsky has been decoding the mysteries of stress by studying baboons from Kenya's plains, and he discovered that the animal's rank as a leader or a follower had a direct link to the level of stress.

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  • RealmDown, on 09/22/2008, -4/+19"Baboons are aggressive, mean-spirited and wild."

    I can attest to that. And he doesn't listen to my ideas, give me enough credit for my work, or pay me very well either.
  • Tychee, on 09/22/2008, -5/+5Another proof that we all came from monkeys :)
  • bananasluggy, on 09/23/2008, -4/+5So... if we poison all the mean people on top, everyone else is happier, healthier, and will live longer, have lots of sex, and produce many offspring?

    I could go for that. ;)

    • orph3us, on 09/24/2008, -0/+4Except you'd have to poison everyone, for when one dies, another fills his/her shoes.
  • bridow, on 09/23/2008, -3/+11Baboons are stressed about Mccain winning the election too?
    • zantos420, on 09/24/2008, -2/+2he didn't win ***** and he's not going to win *****
  • Hetman, on 09/23/2008, -3/+5Stupid baboons stress is for humans.
  • dvsbastard, on 09/24/2008, -1/+7Awwww, isn't that cute... he thinks he's people!
  • thealsir, on 09/24/2008, -1/+8Humans are not peaceful animals. I don't know where anybody got that idea from.
    • Wartyboskfapped, on 09/24/2008, -0/+490% of all primate behaviour is play. Same goes for humans.

      I don't know any murderers. Do you?
  • chuck667, on 09/24/2008, -2/+3Time to start spankin' the monkey.
  • bigfreakinlion, on 09/24/2008, -2/+5Interesting read. Wrote an essay about weight gain for school 3 weeks ago and cited an article about a similar phenomenon in rhesus macaques, wherein the subordinate females ate more than their dominant counterparts.

    Article found at http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/08051 ...
    • MicrosoftBob, on 09/24/2008, -0/+1I observed the same phenomenon with my ex-girlfriend....
  • barryiggins, on 09/24/2008, -1/+4this is why I throw feces at my coworkers. particularly when they ask if I'm having a case of the mondays.
  • AnAfricanOnline, on 09/24/2008, -3/+2something not linking Africans to baboons wow!!
  • AvonBeWeak, on 09/24/2008, -2/+5They're probably just angry that everyone calls them baboons.
  • Dylson, on 09/24/2008, -4/+3Who gives a ***** about baboons?
  • Mujokan, on 09/24/2008, -1/+2There's really only two kinds of stress -- stress from what other people think of you (or what you think they think) and stress from objectively unpleasant circumstances. (Even a lot of the stress you feel at your circumstances is actually related to how you think people will judge you for that.)

    In my opinion, it's easier to deal with the first kind than the second. You can train yourself to not care about what others think, but it's harder not to care about e.g. being disabled.

    However, stress at what others think of you can have a useful role in motivating you to get off your ass, so long as you keep some sense of perspective on it. But the best motivation ought to be working out what you really want (including how you want to help others) and going for it as best you can.
  • TunaFishGangsta, on 09/24/2008, -0/+3Is that Bush in the icon?
  • MadCatter, on 09/24/2008, -0/+4Alpha wolves die sooner too.
  • dropbox, on 09/24/2008, -0/+2Elections must be very similar, except for the mudslinging part -- a little.
  • jexton, on 09/24/2008, -0/+4............................................________
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  • dezweber, on 09/24/2008, -0/+2Dunno - wouldn't an alpha male in the corporate world actually have more stress?
    • ninepointfive, on 09/24/2008, -0/+3maybe the alphas handle their stress in better ways on average?
  • DentPANIC, on 09/24/2008, -0/+0Our Baboon in Chief always stresses me out.
  • acegi, on 09/24/2008, -0/+1yesssss lesson learned

    kill all alpha males
  • thealsir, on 09/24/2008, -0/+2No, but that doesn't stop a whole lot of otherwise peaceful people banded together from being murderers.

    And don't tell me you don't envy your boss's position.
    • MicrosoftBob, on 09/24/2008, -0/+2"I don't envy my boss's position."

      Oh wait....I -am- the boss. :p
  •  

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