Being Nosy Runs Deeper Than We Thought

Ever catch yourself people-watching at a coffee shop, fascinated by the couple arguing at the next table? That urge to know what’s happening in other people’s lives isn’t just a quirky human habit—it’s a deep-seated curiosity we share with our closest primate relatives. A groundbreaking study reveals that chimpanzees are just as invested in social drama as we are, sometimes even sacrificing treats to watch other chimps interact.

Published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, the research compared social curiosity in 4-to-6-year-old children and adult chimpanzees using identical experimental setups. The findings suggest our fascination with social interactions has ancient evolutionary roots, predating human civilization by millions of years.

The Gossip Gene

Researchers at universities across California, Portsmouth, and Uganda designed ingenious “curiosity boxes”—wooden structures containing tablets that played videos of either social interactions or solitary individuals. Both species consistently chose to watch the social content over solo scenes, spending significantly more time observing chimps or children interacting together.

“After years of observing both children and chimpanzees sometimes jumping up in the middle of research games to observe their peers, the research team was inspired to pursue a new social avenue in the blossoming field of curiosity research,” explained lead author Dr. Laura Simone Lewis from UC Santa Barbara.

Paying for Social Information

The most striking results emerged when researchers forced participants to choose between rewards and social videos. Some chimpanzees and children literally gave up treats to keep watching social interactions—a behavior that reveals just how compelling this type of information can be.

Key findings from the three-part study include:

• Both species preferred watching social interactions over individuals acting alone
• Younger children and male chimpanzees paid material costs for social information
• Boys increasingly favored negative interactions with age, while girls gravitated toward positive ones
• Chimpanzees showed no preference between positive and negative social content

The cost-benefit analysis was particularly revealing. Male chimpanzees spent significantly more time watching conflict videos than accessing jackfruit seed rewards, while female chimps showed the opposite pattern. This gender difference mirrors broader patterns in chimpanzee society, where males initiate roughly 98% of conflicts and are more likely to engage in competitive interactions.

Why Social Watching Matters

Social curiosity serves crucial evolutionary functions beyond mere entertainment. By observing how others interact, individuals learn to identify potential allies, threats, and romantic partners. They discover social hierarchies, alliance patterns, and behavioral norms that could mean the difference between thriving and surviving in complex group dynamics.

“This study tells us that curiosity about what others are doing – what you might call being a bit nosy – starts young and runs deep,” noted co-author Dr. Esther Herrmann from the University of Portsmouth. “It’s probably something that helps not only us but also our closest living relatives to survive and thrive in complex social groups.”

The research team conducted experiments at Uganda’s Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary and sites across California, including the Oakland Zoo and Lawrence Hall of Science. They used videos featuring familiar chimpanzees for the ape participants and unfamiliar children for human subjects, ensuring genuine curiosity rather than recognition-based interest.

Gender and Age Shape Social Interest

Perhaps most intriguingly, the study revealed developmental patterns in how children approached social information. Younger kids (around 4 years old) were more willing to sacrifice rewards for social videos, while older children showed less interest. Among boys, fascination with negative interactions increased with age—a pattern that may reflect both evolutionary pressures and cultural socialization.

The gender differences in chimpanzees were equally telling. Female chimps, who typically avoid direct physical competition, showed less interest in conflict videos than their male counterparts. This suggests that social curiosity patterns are shaped by species-typical behaviors and survival strategies rather than mere entertainment value.

The researchers acknowledge important limitations in their pioneering work. Children are more accustomed to screens than chimpanzees, potentially influencing viewing times. The study also focused on older chimps and younger humans, making direct age comparisons challenging. Additionally, chimps watched familiar conspecifics while children viewed strangers, which could have affected curiosity levels.

Despite these constraints, the research opens fascinating questions about the evolutionary origins of human social behavior. Our endless appetite for reality TV, celebrity gossip, and social media drama may represent sophisticated expressions of ancient survival mechanisms that helped our ancestors navigate complex social worlds millions of years ago.