Sucking Up: Why Monkeys Groom the Boss

[tocqueville]

Jeanna Bryner
LiveScience Staff Writer
LiveScience.com
2 hours, 46 minutes ago

Sucking up to win the support of the boss dates back to our furry ancestors. The motivation, for monkeys, is life and death.

Rather than grabbing coffee for the CEO, monkeys have for eons picked dead skin and bugs from the fur of higher-ranking monkeys. They do it in exchange for backing in fights.
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Like other social animals, primates live in societies where individuals often come to blows over food or access to mates, as well as trying to climb the ladder to alpha-hood. When witnessing a conflict between two group-mates, a third party must choose which contestant to back.

Schino found this choice is at least partially determined by past grooming received from each mate, with frequent groomers receiving more frequent support from those served.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20061021/sc_space/suckingupwhymonkeysgroomtheboss

[eppur_se_muova]

1. No recs? Should have posted in GDP. nt

[Jeffery]

2. I've thought about it recently

...how there asre so many words/slang terms for sucking up in the English language:

Kissing up

Toadying

Kissing ***

Sucking hind teat; brown-nosing (mean the same exact thing)

Being obsequious

Fawning

I'm sure there are more.