Dizzy apes provide clues on human need for mind altering experiences

[Judi Lynn]

MARCH 13, 2023
by University of Birmingham

Great apes deliberately spin themselves in order make themselves dizzy, academics at the University of Warwick and the University of Birmingham have discovered.

The findings could provide clues about the role of altered mental states for origins of the human mind.

Dr. Adriano Lameira, Associate Professor of Psychology at The University of Warwick who co-led the study said, "Every culture has found a way of evading reality through dedicated and special rituals, practices, or ceremonies. This human trait of seeking altered states is so universal, historically, and culturally, that it raises the intriguing possibility that this is something that has been potentially inherited from our evolutionary ancestors."

"If this was indeed the case, it would carry huge consequences on how we think about modern human cognition capacities and emotional needs."

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More:
https://phys.org/news/2023-03-dizzy-apes-clues-human-mind.html