How much wealth does it take to buy a crumb of love? Money is the common bargaining chip we use when we want to obtain goods and services. Before this tool there was barter : a man exchanged a certain object or service in exchange for something else, with a presumably similar value. Going back to the present day, those with large amounts of money can do pretty much what they want.
The eternal struggle for survival is no longer measured by strength, agility and perception of the environment; but based on how bloated your bank account is . Yes, our society has completely detached itself from the natural world. Can you imagine animals that understand the value of money and know how to use it? It would certainly be an exhilarating situation!
Ah, I didn’t tell you that some animals know perfectly well how to use money. An example? Capuchin monkeys!
Sex, money and grapes. What else do you want?
Keith Chen, an economist at Yale, along with Laurie Santos, a psychologist, did a very interesting study on Capuchin monkeys. This study, published in the New York Times, revealed that these monkeys are capable of using money as a bargaining chip for goods and services . A singular thing emerges from the research. After teaching them the value of money, the Capuchin monkeys were given a personal budget.
A female, after having spent all she had, gave herself to a male who still had a nice nest egg. This, after sex and without waiting, he paid for it with money ; with this small sum the female was able to buy a grape . Chen, in all his euphoria, proudly calls himself a behavioral economist.
Is this thing natural?
Wealth in the animal world is a very important thing . An individual, strictly speaking in human terms, “wealthy” can guarantee a better life success to his litter. The goods can therefore be of various types: food, territory, rare materials for the nest, etc. Speaking of “rare” materials used for the construction of the nest, a particular behavior of the Adélie penguins comes to mind .
These penguins became particularly famous around this time because it was discovered that females in order to grab a large amount of stones, a rare item in the Arctic, are willing to offer themselves sexually to other males, other than their partner! These stones will be used for the construction of the nest, as a foundation. The lack of wealth (measured by the amount of stone) of the male induces the female to make this exchange . As we have seen, while not knowing money, the value of the exchange was certainly learned from these birds as well.
Are humans still affected by these instincts?
It is not yet certain that humans place such a heavy weight on the amount of resources an individual possesses; but surely each of us, at least once in their life, has thought: “He / she stays with that person only for the money”! Of course, many resources are coveted by anyone! Especially if those resources are really many or rare, like meat .
Who hasn’t heard that butcher , particularly in years past, was considered a sexy job ? We find this particular theme in Jennifer L. Verdolin’s work, “Bestial Affinities”, where the author asks the curious question of why the butcher is sexy. And the answer can be found in the chimpanzees.
In these primates, hunters who kill prey own the meat. Alphas don’t dare to take food either, but they prefer to beg for it. Meat has always been a prized food and, in a tribe of chimpanzees, the hunter distributes it to his companions. Over and over again we have observed females that are granted to these males, and then receive from the male of the extra rations for more !
It is no secret that until 40/50 years ago, meat was not an everyday food, and going back even further, meat was consumed almost exclusively on holidays. Those who owned a lot of cattle could guarantee themselves meat almost every day, and therefore possessed a wealth that was certainly coveted by many. Could it be that our time ladies behaved just like Adélie penguins do with stones?
Conclusion
In the natural world, those who own a large territory or a large amount of food are certainly at an advantage over those who have these resources in a limited way. Extra-marital behaviors have also been observed in nature and in captivity, which see the female engaged in sexual relations with “richer” males , and then return home to her permanent partner.
This behavior is completely natural and justified! At the very least, the exploitation of a person with so many resources leads to some personal and reproductive benefits; but to reproduce only for “desire” what does it mean?
