Social grooming
Encyclopedia
In social animal
s, including human
s, social grooming or allogrooming is an activity in which individuals in a group clean or maintain one another's body or appearance. It is a major social activity, and a means by which animals who live in proximity can bond and reinforce social structures, family links, and build relationship
s. Social grooming is also used as a form of reconciliation and a means of conflict resolution
in some species.
It is a reuse of ordinary grooming behavior, a means of achieving hygiene
and good health
, in that an animal that helps another animal to clean itself, is also helping to form a social bond and trust between them.
s regularly clean themselves to keep their fur, feathers, scales, or other skin
coverings in good condition. This activity - known as personal grooming
, preening, or auto-grooming - promotes hygiene
. Dead skin and foreign objects such as insect
s, ectoparasites, and leaves, dirt
and twigs, are some of the items typically removed.
Many social animal
s groom each other, an activity known as social grooming, mutual grooming, or allo-grooming. Items removed during social grooming are identical to those removed by personal grooming. Social grooming also takes the form of stroking, scratching, and massaging.
Primates provide perhaps the best example of this activity. Primatologists
have called grooming the social cement of the primate world. The trust and bonding it builds is critical to group cooperation. Among primates, social grooming plays an important role in establishing and maintaining alliances and dominance hierarchies
, for building coalitions, for reconciliation after conflicts, and is a resource that is exchanged for other resources, like food and sex. Primates groom socially in moments of boredom as well, and the act has been shown to reduce tension and stress. It is often associated with observed periods of relaxed behaviour, and primates have been known to fall asleep while receiving grooming.
Results of a research shows that male Crab-eating Macaque
s will groom females in order to get sex. The study found that a female has a greater likelihood to engage in sexual activity with a male if he had recently groomed her, compared to males who had not groomed her.
Other animals groom socially as well. These include insects, fish, birds, ungulates, and bats. Whereas social grooming among primates has been very well-studied, less is known about social grooming in these other animals.
Mammals often perform social grooming. Domesticated animals, especially cats and dogs, will groom trusted humans as a sign of affection.
s. People report grooming romantic partners more than grooming people they have other types of relationships with like family members, friends, and strangers. Grooming is associated with increased relationship satisfaction, trust, and experience of family affection while growing up. People who groom, as opposed to touch each other without grooming, are perceived to be better potential parents, more in love with the person they have groomed and more caring and committed to them. Women, but not men, tend to think people who have groomed one another are romantically involved. People also think that if people who have groomed one other are romantically involved, they are in a long-term relationship rather than one that has just begun. Human mutual grooming plays a role in pair-bonding.
, which is one physiological reason for why grooming appears to be relaxing.
Additionally, an article published in 1997 concluded that an increase in maternal
grooming resulted in a proportionate increase in Glucocorticoid receptor
s on target tissue in the neonatal rat. Additionally, it was found that the receptor number was altered because of a change in both serotonin
and thyroid-stimulating hormone
concentrations. An increase in the number of receptors might influence the amount of negative feedback
on corticosteroid secretion and prevent the undesirable side effects of an abnormal physiologic stress response.
Social animal
A social animal is a loosely defined term for an organism that is highly interactive with other members of its species to the point of having a recognizable and distinct society.All mammals are social to the extent that mothers and offspring bond...
s, including human
Human
Humans are the only living species in the Homo genus...
s, social grooming or allogrooming is an activity in which individuals in a group clean or maintain one another's body or appearance. It is a major social activity, and a means by which animals who live in proximity can bond and reinforce social structures, family links, and build relationship
Interpersonal relationship
An interpersonal relationship is an association between two or more people that may range from fleeting to enduring. This association may be based on limerence, love, solidarity, regular business interactions, or some other type of social commitment. Interpersonal relationships are formed in the...
s. Social grooming is also used as a form of reconciliation and a means of conflict resolution
Conflict resolution
Conflict resolution is conceptualized as the methods and processes involved in facilitating the peaceful ending of some social conflict. Often, committed group members attempt to resolve group conflicts by actively communicating information about their conflicting motives or ideologies to the rest...
in some species.
It is a reuse of ordinary grooming behavior, a means of achieving hygiene
Hygiene
Hygiene refers to the set of practices perceived by a community to be associated with the preservation of health and healthy living. While in modern medical sciences there is a set of standards of hygiene recommended for different situations, what is considered hygienic or not can vary between...
and good health
Health
Health is the level of functional or metabolic efficiency of a living being. In humans, it is the general condition of a person's mind, body and spirit, usually meaning to be free from illness, injury or pain...
, in that an animal that helps another animal to clean itself, is also helping to form a social bond and trust between them.
Non-human animals
AnimalAnimal
Animals are a major group of multicellular, eukaryotic organisms of the kingdom Animalia or Metazoa. Their body plan eventually becomes fixed as they develop, although some undergo a process of metamorphosis later on in their life. Most animals are motile, meaning they can move spontaneously and...
s regularly clean themselves to keep their fur, feathers, scales, or other skin
Skin
-Dermis:The dermis is the layer of skin beneath the epidermis that consists of connective tissue and cushions the body from stress and strain. The dermis is tightly connected to the epidermis by a basement membrane. It also harbors many Mechanoreceptors that provide the sense of touch and heat...
coverings in good condition. This activity - known as personal grooming
Personal grooming
Personal grooming is the art of cleaning, grooming, and maintaining parts of the body. It is a species-typical behavior that is controlled by neural circuits in the brain.- In humans :...
, preening, or auto-grooming - promotes hygiene
Hygiene
Hygiene refers to the set of practices perceived by a community to be associated with the preservation of health and healthy living. While in modern medical sciences there is a set of standards of hygiene recommended for different situations, what is considered hygienic or not can vary between...
. Dead skin and foreign objects such as insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
s, ectoparasites, and leaves, dirt
Soil
Soil is a natural body consisting of layers of mineral constituents of variable thicknesses, which differ from the parent materials in their morphological, physical, chemical, and mineralogical characteristics...
and twigs, are some of the items typically removed.
Many social animal
Social animal
A social animal is a loosely defined term for an organism that is highly interactive with other members of its species to the point of having a recognizable and distinct society.All mammals are social to the extent that mothers and offspring bond...
s groom each other, an activity known as social grooming, mutual grooming, or allo-grooming. Items removed during social grooming are identical to those removed by personal grooming. Social grooming also takes the form of stroking, scratching, and massaging.
Primates provide perhaps the best example of this activity. Primatologists
Primatology
Primatology is the scientific study of primates. It is a diverse discipline and researchers can be found in academic departments of anatomy, anthropology, biology, medicine, psychology, veterinary sciences and zoology, as well as in animal sanctuaries, biomedical research facilities, museums and zoos...
have called grooming the social cement of the primate world. The trust and bonding it builds is critical to group cooperation. Among primates, social grooming plays an important role in establishing and maintaining alliances and dominance hierarchies
Dominance hierarchy
A dominance hierarchy is the organization of individuals in a group that occurs when competition for resources leads to aggression...
, for building coalitions, for reconciliation after conflicts, and is a resource that is exchanged for other resources, like food and sex. Primates groom socially in moments of boredom as well, and the act has been shown to reduce tension and stress. It is often associated with observed periods of relaxed behaviour, and primates have been known to fall asleep while receiving grooming.
Results of a research shows that male Crab-eating Macaque
Crab-eating Macaque
The Crab-eating macaque is a cercopithecine primate native to Southeast Asia. It is also called the "long-tailed macaque", and is referred to as the "cynomolgus monkey" in laboratories.-Etymology:...
s will groom females in order to get sex. The study found that a female has a greater likelihood to engage in sexual activity with a male if he had recently groomed her, compared to males who had not groomed her.
Other animals groom socially as well. These include insects, fish, birds, ungulates, and bats. Whereas social grooming among primates has been very well-studied, less is known about social grooming in these other animals.
Mammals often perform social grooming. Domesticated animals, especially cats and dogs, will groom trusted humans as a sign of affection.
Human mutual grooming
A few empirical studies of human social grooming exist. They rely on self-report survey and experimental methodology of adults living primarily in the U.S. and other Western cultureWestern culture
Western culture, sometimes equated with Western civilization or European civilization, refers to cultures of European origin and is used very broadly to refer to a heritage of social norms, ethical values, traditional customs, religious beliefs, political systems, and specific artifacts and...
s. People report grooming romantic partners more than grooming people they have other types of relationships with like family members, friends, and strangers. Grooming is associated with increased relationship satisfaction, trust, and experience of family affection while growing up. People who groom, as opposed to touch each other without grooming, are perceived to be better potential parents, more in love with the person they have groomed and more caring and committed to them. Women, but not men, tend to think people who have groomed one another are romantically involved. People also think that if people who have groomed one other are romantically involved, they are in a long-term relationship rather than one that has just begun. Human mutual grooming plays a role in pair-bonding.
Endocrine effects of grooming
Grooming stimulates the release of beta-endorphinBeta-endorphin
β-endorphin is an endogenous opioid peptide neurotransmitter found in the neurons of both the central and peripheral nervous system.The amino acid sequence is:...
, which is one physiological reason for why grooming appears to be relaxing.
Additionally, an article published in 1997 concluded that an increase in maternal
Maternal bond
The maternal bond is typically the relationship between a mother and her child.While it typically occurs due to pregnancy and childbirth, it may also occur between a woman and an unrelated child, such as in adoption...
grooming resulted in a proportionate increase in Glucocorticoid receptor
Glucocorticoid receptor
The glucocorticoid receptor also known as NR3C1 is the receptor to which cortisol and other glucocorticoids bind....
s on target tissue in the neonatal rat. Additionally, it was found that the receptor number was altered because of a change in both serotonin
Serotonin
Serotonin or 5-hydroxytryptamine is a monoamine neurotransmitter. Biochemically derived from tryptophan, serotonin is primarily found in the gastrointestinal tract, platelets, and in the central nervous system of animals including humans...
and thyroid-stimulating hormone
Thyroid-stimulating hormone
Thyrotrophin-stimulating hormone is a peptide hormone synthesized and secreted by thyrotrope cells in the anterior pituitary gland, which regulates the endocrine function of the thyroid gland.- Physiology :...
concentrations. An increase in the number of receptors might influence the amount of negative feedback
Negative feedback
Negative feedback occurs when the output of a system acts to oppose changes to the input of the system, with the result that the changes are attenuated. If the overall feedback of the system is negative, then the system will tend to be stable.- Overview :...
on corticosteroid secretion and prevent the undesirable side effects of an abnormal physiologic stress response.
See also
- Cleaner fishCleaner fishCleaner fish are fish that provide a service to other fish species by removing dead skin and ectoparasites. This is an example of mutualism, an ecological interaction that benefits both parties involved. A wide variety of fishes have been observed to display cleaning behaviors including wrasses,...
- Personal groomingPersonal groomingPersonal grooming is the art of cleaning, grooming, and maintaining parts of the body. It is a species-typical behavior that is controlled by neural circuits in the brain.- In humans :...
- Social cohesionSocial cohesionSocial cohesion is a term used in social policy, sociology and political science to describe the bonds or "glue" that bring people together in society, particularly in the context of cultural diversity. Social cohesion is a multi-faceted notion covering many different kinds of social phenomena...
- Community cohesionCommunity cohesionCommunity cohesion refers to the aspect of togetherness and bonding exhibited by members of a community, the "glue" that holds a community together...
Further reading
- Mooring, M. S. & Hart, B. L. (1997). Reciprocal allogrooming in wild impala lambs. Ethology, 103(8), 665-680.
- Mooring, M. S. & Samuel, W. M. (1998). The biological basis of grooming in moose: Programmed versus stimulus-driven grooming. Animal Behaviour, 56(6), 1561-1570.
- Poulin, R., Bansemer, C., Grutter, A. S. (2002). Geographic variation in the behaviour of the cleaner fish Labroides dimidiatus (Labridae). Ethology, 108(4), 353-366.