Big families and strong social ties help primates live longer. This was found out by scientists from Exeter University, for 21 years having studied about a thousand rhesus monkeys in Puerto Rico. The result, according to experts, is applicable to humans. Press release of the study is published on the website of Phys.. Org. As an indicator of the number of social ties in primates, biologists have taken the number of individuals close to an individual. It turned out that each relative reduced the probability of death of the animal in the coming year by 2.3 percent. This relationship, however, was not found in older females. Scientists believe that this is due to differences in behavior among the old generation of primates and young monkeys.

Thus, animals tend to be aggressive in order to take a place in the group, and they want other members of the collective to take care of them, for example, help get rid of parasites. Rhesus macaques were more selective in social relationships, which reduced their number, despite the existence of a large family. Scientists believe that the results of the study will help to find out how the ancient people co-existed with each other, and whether it affected the quality of their lives. Since social ties favor longevity, evolution could thus contribute to the development of primitive societies.

Original article: A new way to live longer.