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August 10, 2010
Written by Al Setka, Director of Communications
I have heard that all humans shake their heads up and down for yes and left and right for no. Do apes have the same behavior ?
Brad Dutton
William M. FIelds, Director of Scientific Research says:
The notion of human behavioral universals is a concept with all types of cultural exceptions. Some human communities shake their heads up and down for yes and left and right for no, but it is not a fact that all do. Just as some humans use these gestures for yes and no, the same is true for some apes. The difference between apes and humans is degree. What is clear, apes enculturated into these kinds of gestures from birth understand and use them.