The discovery that female macaques are far chattier than males helps bolster the theory that human language evolved to forge social bonds (Image: Pete Oxford / Naturepl.com)
WOMEN may be fed up with being stereotyped as the chattier sex, but the cliche turns out to be true – in female-centric monkey groups at least. The gossipy nature of female macaques also adds weight to the theory that human language evolved to forge social bonds.
Many researchers think that language replaced grooming as a less time-consuming way of preserving close bonds in ever-growing societies.
Nathalie Greeno and Stuart Semple from Roehampton University…
