Scientists analyzed footage of the great apes spinning around.
As a result of the analysis, it was concluded that the animals did this intentionally, to turn their heads.
Researchers believe this behavior may shed light on the evolutionary origins of people’s altered mental states or habits such as alcohol consumption.
It is stated that great apes such as the gorilla, chimpanzee and orangutan, which are considered to be the closest relatives of humans, exhibit such behaviors “to keep their get high”.
Throughout history, people have sought ways to change their state of mind. This includes ingesting psychoactive substances in plant fungi or synthesizing drugs or producing drugs.
For example, in a study conducted in 2021, it was determined that in prehistoric times, people sat inside by setting the cave entrances on fire and trying to get a psychedelic experience as the oxygen inside was depleted.
Anthropologists and geneticists have been trying to understand the origins of this human desire for years.
The new research, published in the peer-reviewed scientific journal Primates, revealed that this desire is seen not only in humans but also in great apes.
Adriano Lameria of the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom and his team analyzed videos of monkeys whirling around on YouTube and other online outlets.
The team calculated the spin speeds of the monkeys in the videos and concluded that they were moving at speeds that “would be high”.
“Turning changes our state of consciousness. It disrupts our body-mind sensitivity and coordination,” said Lameria, and continued her words as follows:
This makes us feel sick, dazed, and even happy, like children playing on carousels.
Lameria said that they reviewed 40 videos. The monkeys in the videos had turned 709 times in total.
What we want to understand in this study is whether turning can be considered a primitive behavior by which human ancestors could enter other states of consciousness.
When I see monkeys spinning around, I get high too! Don’t you think they’re cute too? What dou you think about?
