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Intentional communication reduces social stress by increasing the predictability of conspecifics’ behaviour

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 November 2025

Sam G. B. Roberts Open the ORCID record for Sam G. B. Roberts [Opens in a new window]  and
Anna I. Roberts
Sam G. B. Roberts*
Affiliation:
School of Psychology, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK s.g.roberts1@ljmu.ac.uk https://profiles.ljmu.ac.uk/12295-sam-roberts
Anna I. Roberts
Affiliation:
McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK ar2295@cam.ac.uk https://bonobohi5expedition.wordpress.com/ Bonobo Foundation, UK
*
*Corresponding author.
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Abstract

Specialised forms of social cognition enable primates to manage the stresses of group living by allowing for flexible and intentional communication. This is used to increase the predictability of conspecifics’ behaviour for both signallers and receivers. Intentional communication helps to overcome the stimulus-driven processing that may occur due to stress, enhancing attention allocation in receivers.

Information

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 48 , 2025 , e181
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press

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References

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