Empathy Study Finds Rats are "Givers," Too

Being called a rat may not really be an insult. In fact, rodents may be able to teach us something about the holiday spirit. Photo: Hotels in Eastbourne

From long lines to bargain bin battles, holiday shoppers endure a lot of pain to pick the perfect present. But have you ever wondered why we put ourselves through so much to benefit somebody else? A recent study on rats and empathy may offer a few hints.

Scientists studying animal behavior refer to empathy as recognizing and internalizing another’s feelings. It’s that amazing “I feel your pain” ability that’s behind all sorts of behaviors, from sending sympathy cards to yawning.

Earlier this month, a study in Science revealed how rats free their familiar fellows from cages even when it might be advantageous to ignore their pal’s plight. When rats discovered a trapped friend’s distress, they took action*, figuring out how to release the second rat.

*One of the study's authors, Peggy Mason, adds that there was a group of rats (25% of those studied) who failed to liberate their trapped colleagues. "We call them non-openers," she explains in an email. This group was so stressed by the trapped rat's distress that they were "essentially frozen in fear."
 

To suss out the rodent’s motivation, scientists set up a few variations on the test, including setting up the cage so that trapped rat were released into a totally different arena—meaning the rats weren’t rewarded by sharing the same play space—and by giving rats the choice to free their friend or open an alternative chamber with their favorite indulgence, chocolate.

The reliable rats never failed their friends. Though truth be told, the rats never hesitated to open access to a tasty treat, they just made sure to release their caged colleague as well so they could share the wealth.

Among the scientists to praise the study is primatologist Frans de Waal, whose book The Age of Empathy details a history of the subject—once taboo among animal behavior scientists—with examples from throughout the animal kingdom. He argues that there may even be “a basic neural process, first developed in our ancestors, [that] underlies even the fancy kinds of empathy that only we humans are capable of.”

So this holiday season, share and share alike, because generosity isn’t just a tradition, its part of our nature.