Monkeys feel regret, too

[n2doc]

ScienceDaily (May 26, 2011) — Regret has long been viewed as an exclusively human thought, one which helps prevent us from repeating bad choices but becomes debilitating when it triggers obsessive thoughts about past actions.

Now a new study by Yale University researchers shows that monkeys also can be Monday morning quarterbacks and visualize alternative, hypothetical outcomes. The findings, reported in the May 26 issue of the journal Neuron, pinpoint areas of the brain where this process takes place and may give scientists new clues into how to treat diseases such as depression and schizophrenia.

"Regret serves us well most of the time, by helping us recognize choices that lead to bad outcomes," said Daeyeol Lee, professor of neurobiology at Yale School of Medicine and the Kavli Institute for Neuroscience and co-author of the study. "But sometimes regret can be very damaging."

Regret essentially is the ability to recognize that alternate courses of action could have led to more favorable outcome. For instance, someone who bought a home at the height of the housing market envisions a better outcome if she or he had rented a home or moved to a healthier market. We don't only learn by being rewarded or punished for specific actions, the way many psychologists once believed, Lee noted.

more

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/05/110525123951.htm

Guess this proves W wasn't a chimp, after all.

[ohnoyoudidnt]

1. Yet they never stop throwing poo.

Then again, neither do people.

[Curmudgeoness]

2. Humans are always so pompous

in thinking that we are the only species who are capable of so many things. Just watch monkey behavior and that will tell you that they feel regret. And sadness, and joy, and love.