Researchers have discovered a unique trait in chimpanzees: they perform better when under supervision.

A recent study by scientists provided them with an intriguing insight into how chimpanzees perform tasks and how this is influenced by human observation. Researchers from Kyoto University discovered that chimpanzees exhibit enhanced performance on complex computer tasks when a large audience is present, while their performance on simpler tasks declines under similar conditions, according to ScienceBlog.

The research, published in the journal iScience, spanned six years and included thousands of sessions studying primates. It revealed unusual parallels between chimpanzees and humans in their reactions to social observation, leading scientists to hypothesize about the evolutionary basis of audience influence on task performance. Lead researcher Kristen Lynn noted the unexpected nature of these findings, especially given that it is generally believed that chimpanzees are not susceptible to the opinions of other species.

Animals performed better on complex tasks when observed by a large group, suggesting that the pressure exerted by observation may enhance focus and motivation, similar to how some people perform better under pressure. The study's results indicate that social awareness and anxiety during task execution may have deeper evolutionary roots in primates than previously thought.

At the specialized research facility, chimpanzees interacted daily with humans, engaging in experiments with touchscreens and receiving food rewards as incentives. Researcher Akiho Muramatsu explained that such an environment allows animals to become accustomed to human observers, making it an ideal setting to study the impact of human presence on their cognitive activities. The findings contributed to a broader understanding among scientists of the social behavior of animals and its evolutionary significance.

However, the positive influence of the audience had its limits. When performing simpler tasks, chimpanzees showed a decrease in accuracy as the number of spectators increased, reminiscent of a phenomenon observed in humans where excessive pressure can impair the execution of simple tasks. Researcher Shinya Yamamoto remarked, "Our results suggest that how much people care about witnesses and spectators may not be so species-specific." He emphasized that such social sensitivity might be more universal than previously believed.

Similar conclusions highlight that social sensitivity related to performance may extend across various species, indicating an evolutionary continuum. Supporting these findings, research on human performance has also shown that complex or engaging tasks often improve outcomes under close scrutiny, while simple tasks may suffer from it—this pattern is also observed in workplace productivity and social settings. This effect, known as "social facilitation," aptly describes the general psychological responses to social environments across different living species.