African music preferred by chimps

Chimpanzees like to listen to the different rhythms of music from Africa and India, but prefer silence to music from the West, according to new research in the Journal of Experimental Psychology.

“We used cultural music from Africa, India and Japan to pinpoint specific acoustic properties,” said study co-author Frans de Waal, of Emory University. “Past research has focused only on Western music and has not addressed the very different acoustic features of non-Western music. While nonhuman primates have previously indicated a preference among music choices, they have consistently chosen silence over the types of music previously tested.”

Previous research has found that some nonhuman primates prefer slower tempos, but the new findings may be the first to show that they display a preference for particular rhythmic patterns. “Although Western music, such as pop, blues and classical, sound different to the casual listener, they all follow the same musical and acoustic patterns. Therefore, by testing only different Western music, previous research has essentially replicated itself,” the study authors contend.

When African and Indian music was played near their large outdoor enclosures, the chimps spent significantly more time in areas where they could best hear the music. When Japanese music was played, they were more likely to be found in spots where it was more difficult or impossible to hear the music. The African and Indian music in the experiment had extreme ratios of strong to weak beats, whereas the Japanese music had regular strong beats, which is also typical of Western music.

“Chimpanzees may perceive the strong, predictable rhythmic patterns as threatening, as chimpanzee dominance displays commonly incorporate repeated rhythmic sounds such as stomping, clapping and banging objects,” said de Waal.

“Chimpanzees displaying a preference for music over silence is compelling evidence that our shared evolutionary histories may include favoring sounds outside of both humans’ and chimpanzees’ immediate survival cues,” added co-author Morgan Mingle. “Our study highlights the importance of sampling across the gamut of human music to potentially identify features that could have a shared evolutionary root.”

Related:
Discuss this article in our forum
Walk this way: how an upright gait made humans musical
Monkey music a hit
Study identifies key aspects of music that evoke emotions in brain
Pop music created using natural selection and crowdsourcing

Source: American Psychological Association

, , , ,

Comments are closed.

Vintage Multi Action Charlie Chimp Battery's included picture

Vintage Multi Action Charlie Chimp Battery's included

$150.00



Hagen Renaker Chimp With 🍌 Blue Or Green Shirt. picture

Hagen Renaker Chimp With 🍌 Blue Or Green Shirt.

$35.00



Vintage Monkey Chimp Figure Collectible Figurine Chimpanzee REAL FUR Read picture

Vintage Monkey Chimp Figure Collectible Figurine Chimpanzee REAL FUR Read

$27.99



FanBoy and Chum Chum House Figures with Chimp Chomp Viacom 2011 Nickelodoen picture

FanBoy and Chum Chum House Figures with Chimp Chomp Viacom 2011 Nickelodoen

$89.00



Schleich Chimpanzee Figure Monkey Chimp Animal new in plastic  picture

Schleich Chimpanzee Figure Monkey Chimp Animal new in plastic

$11.90



Vintage Gorilla Ape Monkey Chimp MASK Plastic Hong Kong Halloween Glows Under UV picture

Vintage Gorilla Ape Monkey Chimp MASK Plastic Hong Kong Halloween Glows Under UV

$24.99



Zippy The Chimp Original  Color Photo Snapshot 1970 House Party Howdy Doody #3 picture

Zippy The Chimp Original Color Photo Snapshot 1970 House Party Howdy Doody #3

$17.41



knickerbocker coin bank plastic monkey chimp working unit - no stopper picture

knickerbocker coin bank plastic monkey chimp working unit - no stopper

$30.00



Terracotta Monkey Chimpanzee Italian Figurine Sculpture picture

Terracotta Monkey Chimpanzee Italian Figurine Sculpture

$295.00



Monkey Chimp Chef Diner Restaurant Theme Display Advertising Resin Prop Statue picture

Monkey Chimp Chef Diner Restaurant Theme Display Advertising Resin Prop Statue

$300.00



Powered by WordPress. Designed by WooThemes