Scientists sure do love their stressed-out baby animals. Yesterday we learned about the dangers of marrying a stressed zebra finch — and today a study reveals that baby monkeys who endure scary separations from their moms can feel the ill effects throughout life.
According to the BBC, researchers looked at rhesus monkeys who had to be taken from their moms because “they were at risk from an inexperienced mother, the mother lacked breast milk or the baby would not survive in rainy, cold weather” (at least in this case, the scientists didn’t cause the stress on purpose). They found that even after three years of subsequent normal socialization, the monkeys had lower than average level of cortisol, a hormone important in dealing with stress. They also had a slowed-down physical response to stressful situations, and their behavior tended to be more anxious and less social. Study co-author Dr. Andrea Danese says the findings mirror what we know about humans:
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