Empathic rats… and TV
Last week, out of the blue, I received the above video from Oxford Scientific Films. Well, maybe not entirely out of the blue but certainly long after I’d given the footage any thought. Let me explain. In spring of 2013, a producer from Oxford Scientific Films contacted me about filming our empathic rats for use in a documentary to be aired on BBC. I have a great deal of respect for BBC and despite the fact that rats are reluctant “movie stars,” I agreed. I knew that the production would be well done and I wanted our rats to gain the exposure that a BBC show could afford them.
So on Sunday, July 7th, 2013, I met a crew at my laboratory. Filming went well. Victoria Huang and Amisha Gandhi, two University of Chicago undergraduates in my laboratory, had patiently worked with the rats. The rats were so mellow that they were completely non-plussed by the cameras and strangers. They were stars as you can see for yourself. The day was long but quite enjoyable. And we were even able to crowd together and listen to Andy Murray win Wimbledon. Our British visitors were happy and proud.
The show was designed to highlight relationships between individuals from different species. Our work was included because the empathic feeling that links two rats is likely to be related to the feeling that connects two from different species. Originally, we heard that the show would be aired in October. As fall rolled around, no air date was announced and then I was told that the powers that be decided to go in a different direction. I was greatly disappointed, particularly because of the obvious high quality of the production. Actually, the hardest part was breaking the news to Victoria and Amisha who had worked so hard and so effectively.
Within a week or two, I became enmeshed in all manner of other activities and stopped thinking about the un-aired footage from that July day in Chicago. Then out of the blue, I received the above video from Oxford Scientific Films. I am so thankful to them for letting me share this. And I hope you enjoy it.
I want to add one other note. I’ve been trying to write this post for days and keep going off on tangents that have little to do with sharing the video. So let me just say that if you’ve never heard of our empathic rats, I’ve listed some links below to videos and stories about our findings.
- Our original article published in Science (Ben-Ami Bartal, Decety, and Mason 2011) demonstrated that rats will help a cagemate in need.
- Science produced a video on our findings which also received widespread publicity from a number of media outlets.
- We were included in a NOVA Science Now segment entitled, “What are animals thinking?“.
- In January 2014, we showed that rats are socially selective about who they will help.
- Just last month (April 2014), I participated in a Reddit Science AMA (=ask me anything) on rat empathy. The response was amazing – we spent the day on the front page of Reddit.
I find it difficult to know where to start and when to stop when I talk about something so dear to my heart as my laboratory’s work. So I will sign off without saying anything else except: enjoy the video!!
Categories: Mason Laboratory, Psychology, Social neuroscience, Sociality, The brain in the news
The brain is sooooo cool! 
Japanese translation to your BBC video (only for the parts I could catch what was said!) :
(00:28) Dr. Mason: 異種動物間で多くの事例証拠がありますよね。子猫が雌犬の乳を飲んでいたり、犬と鹿がとても仲良くしていたり。実際、私達はよくyoutubeでそういったビデオを観ていますよ。素敵な光景だと思います。
(00:43) Narrator:シカゴ大学で神経生物学の教鞭をとるPeggy Mason教授は、動物たちがお互いをどの程度理解できるのかという点に強い関心を持っています。
(00:56) Liz Bonnin: 非拘束マウスと拘束マウスがいますね。
(00:59) Dr. Mason: そうですね。トラップの中と、トラップの外の自由なマウスが１匹ずつです。
(01:02) Narrator: Mason教授は自身の理論を証明しようと特別な装置を考案し、マウスがお互いの心理状態を理解できるのか、また共感能力があるのかを検討しました。
(01:13) Liz Bonnin: この２匹は兄弟ですか？
(01:14) Dr. Mason: いいえ。単なるケージメイトです。この２匹がお互いをどう思っているか話してはくれなかったですけどね（笑）。十中八九、ケージメイトはお互いを好意的にとらえるようです。
(01:27) Liz Bonnin: 嗅いでいますね。
(01:36) Dr. Mason: マウスがこのように近づいてお互いを嗅いだりするのは大変注目すべき点です。大抵は相手と距離をおいてアリーナの端にいる方が心地良いはずなのです。ですから、ストレスを克服したうえでこうしてアリーナの中心部に来ているのです。相手のことを心配しているのですね。
(02:00) Liz Bonnin: 鼻どうしで何かやり取りをしているのがかわいらしいですね。
(02:05) Dr. Mason: 鼻どうしのコミュニケーションにどういった意味があるのかはわかりませんが、頻繁に見受けられます。非拘束マウスは自分の行動を理解しているんですよ。ドアが開いて落ちた時の音にも動じず動きをとめなかったですよね。ドアを開ければ落ちることをわかっているのです。完全に意図的な行動なのです。
(02:37) Narrator: Mason教授は、トラップの中にマウスのぬいぐるみを置いた場合、マウスがいない空の場合で同様の実験を行いましたが、非拘束マウスはどちらの場合も無関心でした。Mason教授は実験の設定に他のバリエーションも加えました。
(02:51) Dr. Mason: 非拘束マウスが、トラップの中のマウスのためにドアを開けるか、それともチョコレートの置かれたトラップの方のドアを開けるか、あるいは両方のドアを開けるか検討しました。一方の装置にはチョコレートとバタースコッチ、もう一方にはマウスを入れます。そして、非拘束マウスをアリーナに投入します。
(03:41) Dr. Mason: 素晴らしいですね。トラップの中のケージメイトのためにドアを開けることは、ごちそうのためにドアを開けるのと何ら変わりないということなのです。
(03:53) Liz Bonnin: 冗談でしょう！向うにはバタースコッチとチョコレートがあるのに！
(03:57) Dr. Mason: バタースコッチは大好物なのにね。
(03:59) Liz Bonnin: 本当に愛らしいわ。
(04:01) Liz Bonnin: どうしてマウスは共感行動をとるのでしょう？
(04:04) Dr. Mason: 社会的集団の中では、その集団に属する個々がどう感じているか把握する必要があるのです。困難に遭遇しているマウスがいたら手を貸すのは勿論のこと、恐怖に直面しているマウスがいたらそれを察知し警戒して、捕食者が接近していたらその情報を集団内で共有するのです。また、「おいしい餌を見つけたよ！」なんていう情報共有もあるかもしれません。
(04:34) Liz Bonnin: マウス同士でなくても同様な行動がみられると思いますか？
(04:43) Dr. Mason: 個々が発するシグナルが種特異的なものだとは考えていません。ですから、私たち人間も動物たちに共感しますよね。
(05:07) Liz Bonnin: マウスにおける共感行動というのは実に引き付けられる研究です。マウスは人間のように他人の立場に立って行動するとまではいかなくとも、苦悩を分かち合いお互いを助け合えるようです。野生動物や、異種動物間では果たしてどうでしょうか…..
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Thanks for doing that. Hello to all the Japanese speakers out there. I can’t wait to visit the Kyoto macaques!!
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AMEN! I completely agree with your assessment and wish that more sports – from the majors all the way down to kids rec-league sports – would adopt a more sensible and straightforward standard.
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Thanks Sara! For those of you that may be confused, this comment applies to the following post:
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So cool! But why is the music to ominous sounding?
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This article really intrigued me. It’s probably not of use to demonstrate understanding and empathy among rats; this situation is not something that is immediately intuitive. But it certainly adds something to old thoughts on rat (and human) behaviour. Understanding the lab findings also offers a massive opportunity for better empathy in humans.
It has a long preamble, but there is work for a lab reported, I promise. I hope it intrigues you like it did me.
http://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/jan/02/johann-hari-interview-drugs-book-independent?CMP=fb_gu
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Dear Maggie,
I just read this. What an interesting tale!! Some stuff such as rules and the wrongs associated with those rules are human and NOT rat. Plagiarism is a rule. Plagiarism is not an inherent evil (malum in se) as murder is. It is a wrong because it is against the rules (malum prohibitum). And not all see plagiarism as something distinct from normal (see Mark Twain’s letter to Helen Keller). I will write a post on this one day…
Thanks for your comment,
P
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Reblogged this on Almost Rational and commented:
Rock on Prof Mason!
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Loved the video on rats, but then I think rats are very cool! I’ve had many rats (in groups) and have seen remarkable behavior, sometimes wholly unexpected and at times not pleasant.
Rats are very bright, learn very easily and are definitely in my top 3 of greatest pets!
Empathy in an animal that’s is despised by so many… I like it!
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