Yale researchers, led by our very own Laurie Santos, have determined that prejudice is a trait humans have retained from our evolutionary predecessors.
Judging Monkeys
According to studies, rhesus macaques monkeys, who shared a common ancestor with humans millions of years ago, can tell if other monkeys are in the “ingroup” or “outgroup” and will treat them with love or disdain accordingly. And we thought kids could be brutal—I’d hate to be an outsider in monkey middle school. Even after millions of years, it seems valuing those in the in-crowd is a habit neither humans nor monkeys can shake. The good news is that the study also showed monkeys were flexible in letting “outgroup” members become “ingroup” members again. At least there’s hope. Read more about the fascinating discovery in the IB Times article. And watch Laurie’s videos again here
WATCH Laurie Santos videos
Why does Laurie study monkeys to learn about humans? What’s her theme song? What’s the only blue animal she’s photographed? Watch 
