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how clever do you have to be to put
yourself in someone else’s shoes
and what’s the advantage
[Music]
from the time humans are two years old
we start to show
empathy and understanding of what
another person might be feeling
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for a long time scientists thought that
this was a uniquely human trait
but lately they’ve discovered that
certain animals could be much better at
reading and reacting to the emotional
states of others
than we previously thought
Prairie voles
prairie voles which live in bonded pairs
will go to great lengths to groom and
nurture a mate that’s showing signs of
stress
this isn’t proof of empathy on its own
but scientists
have shown that this behavior is
triggered by the same hormone
oxytocin that’s associated with feelings
of
empathy in humans which suggests a
common mechanism
for these feelings of caring
the case has been made for empathy
amongst just a few
select species including dolphins
primates and dogs
but the most moving example comes from
the largest
land animal on earth
Elephants
the elephant
elephants have complex societies
with group sizes ranging from dozens to
around 100 individuals
each one of whom can live for up to 70
years
long lives and close bonds means
that a death particularly that of a
matriarch
is a traumatic event
[Applause]
and elephants have recently been
observed visiting and caressing the
bones of their departed friends
this expression of elephant grief makes
a strong
case for some animals at least being
capable
of complex emotions like empathy
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