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Is THIS why kids love merry-go-rounds? Bizarre study reveals how gorillas deliberately twirl to make themselves dizzy and induce an ‘altered mental state’
- Gorillas, chimpanzees and orangutans regularly spin themselves in circles
- Experts believe this is possible to achieve an “altered mental state.”
- And it could mean that our ancestors did the same for similar reasons
There is nothing more exciting for a child than taking a ride on a fast-moving merry-go-round.
And they’re not the only ones who like to get dizzy — new research suggests great apes seek the same sensation.
Scientists have found that primates regularly spin themselves in circles, possibly to achieve an “altered mental state.”
And it could mean that our ancestors did the same for similar reasons.
A team from the Universities of Birmingham and Warwick analyzed 40 online videos of gorillas, chimpanzees, bonobos and orangutans all displaying spinning behaviour.
Scientists have found that primates regularly spin themselves in circles, possibly to achieve an “altered mental state.”
On average, the primates made 5.5 turns, with an average of 1.5 revolutions per second, and did this repeatedly three times.
The scientists compared spinning speeds and found that the primates can spin just as fast while holding a rope as professional human dancers and circus performers, as well as dervish Muslims who participate in whirling ceremonies to achieve a spiritual trance.
Dr. Adriano Lameira, who co-led the study, said: ‘Spinning changes our state of consciousness, it messes up our mind-body responsiveness and coordination, making us feel nauseous, light-headed and even elated, as in the case of children playing. in merry-go-rounds, merry-go-rounds and merry-go-rounds.
‘What we wanted to try to understand with this study is whether spiders can be studied as a primordial behavior that human ancestors could have engaged in autonomously and tapped into other states of consciousness.
“If all great apes seek vertigo, then most likely our ancestors did too.
“The monkeys did this on purpose, almost as if they were dancing — a mechanism known in humans that universally facilitates mood regulation and social bonding and enhances the senses and is based on rotational movements.
“The parallel between what the apes did and what humans did was more than coincidental.”
The researchers themselves experimented with turning at these speeds and times and found it difficult to reach the third turn, as great apes did.
There is nothing more exciting for a child than taking a ride on a fast-moving carousel (stock image)
On average, the primates made 5.5 turns, at an average of 1.5 revolutions per second, and did this repeatedly three times
The primates were noticeably dizzy at this point in the videos, and they were likely to lose their balance and fall over.
“This would indicate that the primates deliberately keep spinning, despite starting to feel the effects of vertigo, until they can no longer keep their balance,” said Dr. Marcus Perlman, who also worked on the study.
The researchers said the behavior may be related to mental health, as the primates may be bored, or it may be related to play.
“When you think of a children’s playground, almost all the equipment – swings, slides, seesaws and merry-go-rounds or merry-go-rounds – they are all designed to challenge your balance or disrupt the body and mind’s responses,” Dr Lameria added.
The research is published in the journal Primates.