As usual with science headlines, it's an oversimplification at best, and inaccurate at worst. The results seemed to indicate that Bonobos preferred those who w

As usual with science headlines, it's an oversimplification at best, and inaccurate at worst. The results seemed to indicate that Bonobos preferred those who were at the top of the social hierarchy. The experiment would only be decisive if they could find a way to deconvolve jerkishness from dominance. The researchers say there may be a good reason for these puzzling results. It could be that bonobos interpret rudeness as a sign of social status and are simply trying to keep dominant individuals on their side. In other words, it pays to have powerful allies. To test the idea, the team showed 24 bonobos another set of animated videos in which one cartoon character repeatedly prevents another one from claiming a coveted spot. The apes generally preferred the character who hogged the spot over the one who yielded. For bonobos, schmoozing with dominant individuals could mean better access to food, mates or other perks, or less chance of being bullied themselves, Krupenye said.