In News: Chimps can Vary Their Smiles Like Humans

This human-like ability of the chimps comes from the positive expressions of ancestral apes.

A chimpanzee enjoys the sun at a sanctuary. (Photo: Reuters)

A new study suggests that chimps can have a variety of smiles, just like human beings. The reason behind this study might be the positive expressions of ancestral apes.

Researchers from the University of Portsmouth in UK also found that chimpanzees are able to produce these smile types silently, without being constrained by the accompanying laughing sound.

The findings suggest that chimpanzees’ communication is more similar to humans than was previously known, researchers said.

Ability to flexibly use our facial expressions allows us to communicate in more explicit and versatile ways, but until now we didn’t know chimps could also flexibly produce facial expressions free from their vocalisations.

—Dr Marina Davila-Ross, Lead researcher from the University’s Centre for Comparative and Evolutionary Psychology.