Comforting touch involves contact distress-alleviating behaviors of an observer towards the
suffering of a target. A growing number of studies have investigated the effects of touch on …

While empathy is a century‐old psychological concept, its study in non‐human animals has
become the focus of much recent scientific interest, as it promises to provide the clues to …

How animals respond to conflict provides key insights into the evolution of socio-cognitive
and emotional capacities. Evidence from apes has shown that, after social conflicts …

Contact directed by uninvolved bystanders toward others in distress, often termed
consolation, is uncommon in the animal kingdom, thus far only demonstrated in the great …

In some species habitual same-sex sexual behavior co-occurs with high levels of intra-
sexual alliance formation, suggesting that these behaviors may be linked. We tested for such …

Post-aggression consolation is assumed to occur in humans as well as in chimpanzees.
While consolation following peer aggression has been observed in children, systematic …

The concept of peace, with its corollary of behaviours, strategies and social implications, is
commonly believed as a uniquely human feature. Through a comparative approach, we …

Sexual contacts are thought to play an important role in regulating social tension in bonobos
(Pan paniscus), and are especially common following aggressive conflicts, either between …

Many animals living in social groups have evolved behaviors to resolve conflicts between
group members, behaviors thought crucial for maintaining stable group life. Several …

In social mammals, conflict resolution involves the reunion of former opponents (aggressor
and victim) after an aggressive event (reconciliation) or post-conflict triadic contacts with a …