Extroverted personality helps long gorillas

Gorillas have an extrovert personality that lasts 10 years longer than others.

Alex Weiss, a scientist at Edinburgh University in the UK, and his colleagues followed 283 gorillas in many zoos in the US from 1993 to 2011. During that time 119 died at age 2. By 55, Livescience reported.

Based on observations and observations of zoo employees, the team determined the personality of each gorilla. They found that the average life expectancy of the most outgoing gorillas was 10 years higher than the most shy gorillas. The results did not change after experts considered other factors such as gender, age and number of times transferred from one zoo to another. The average life of gorillas is 35 to 40 years.

Gorillas and people who had common ancestors.

The reason that gorillas have a longer extrovert personality is still unknown. But the team thinks that extroverted children will have more friends and relationships. Like humans, gorillas resist psychological pressure more effectively if they have a rich social life. Another hypothesis is: Shyness and a closed type increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. This is one of the leading fatal diseases for gorillas in captivity.

Gorillas and people who had common ancestors. Two species began to evolve in two directions from about 10 million years ago. Gorilla DNA and people are 99% identical. Therefore, the research team thinks that their research results are also meaningful to people.

"Our study shows the relationship between extrovert and life expectancy that once existed in the common ancestor of modern humans and gorillas , " Weiss argues.

Some previous studies of rhesus macaques have demonstrated that those with extrovert traits possess a stronger immune system, while those with a closed personality are more likely to have the disease.