Live data from Hacker News

Juvenile great apes love to tease and annoy their elders, study finds

theguardian.com

21–30 of 80 posts

Re: Juvenile great apes love to tease and annoy their elders, study finds

#21

i've also seen this behaviour in rats, cats, and dogs. it's the cutest thing ever.

Kittens are demonic and will pester adult cats for as long as they can stay awake. Mature cats always end up taking refuge on elevated perches kittens can't reach.

Re: Juvenile great apes love to tease and annoy their elders, study finds

#24

First, they annoy the elders. Then when they grow up to be teenagers, they live in a cave and communicate mostly through grunting. I am at this phase with my children and I make inhumane efforts not to react and let it flow. I hope that when their brain actually fires up when they are 25 or 30, they will be nice kids who realize what their parents when through to raise them. Please comment only to confirm this, I am…

>when their brain actually fires up when they are 25 or 30

Their brain fires up at about 14, and soon starts to figure out that life is actually a costume party, so they spend the next decade in their cave pondering about it while making up their costume, naturally grunting at you while you annoy them with your mundane down-to-earth already-costumed person considerations. Then at 25 or 30 their costume is ready and they start playing with you childishly again.

"I was ashamed of myself when I realized life was a costume party, and I attended with my real face." (Kafka)

"Parents who expect gratitude from their children (there are even some who require it) are like those usurers who willingly risk the capital to receive interest." (Kafka)

Re: Juvenile great apes love to tease and annoy their elders, study finds

#25

First, they annoy the elders. Then when they grow up to be teenagers, they live in a cave and communicate mostly through grunting. I am at this phase with my children and I make inhumane efforts not to react and let it flow. I hope that when their brain actually fires up when they are 25 or 30, they will be nice kids who realize what their parents when through to raise them. Please comment only to confirm this, I am…

Probably the best thing for the young chimpanzees is to be out of the house most of the time, be put into a bunch of sports/programs. At that age they start to resent their parents, and they learn a lot more when they're outside doing stuff.

Re: Juvenile great apes love to tease and annoy their elders, study finds

#26
post #4

> From 75 hours of footage taken at San Diego and Leipzig zoos, scientists documented 142 clear instances of great apes teasing their compadres Less than 2 teases per hour! I wish some juvenile homo sapiens I know were that well behaved.

Game theory tells us the most effective strategy is matching their energy until they shift modalities. Sometimes, adults deny this truth to their own detriment because they’re “smart” or “civilized”.

Interesting, what's the game theory argument for this strategy?

Re: Juvenile great apes love to tease and annoy their elders, study finds

#27
post #24

First, they annoy the elders. Then when they grow up to be teenagers, they live in a cave and communicate mostly through grunting. I am at this phase with my children and I make inhumane efforts not to react and let it flow. I hope that when their brain actually fires up when they are 25 or 30, they will be nice kids who realize what their parents when through to raise them. Please comment only to confirm this, I am…

>when their brain actually fires up when they are 25 or 30 Their brain fires up at about 14, and soon starts to figure out that life is actually a costume party, so they spend the next decade in their cave pondering about it while making up their costume, naturally grunting at you while you annoy them with your mundane down-to-earth already-costumed person considerations. Then at 25 or 30 their costume is ready and t…

...so what's your costume?

Re: Juvenile great apes love to tease and annoy their elders, study finds

#29
post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>when their brain actually fires up when they are 25 or 30 Their brain fires up at about 14, and soon starts to figure out that life is actually a costume party, so they spend the next decade in their cave pondering about it while making up their costume, naturally grunting at you while you annoy them with your mundane down-to-earth already-costumed person considerations. Then at 25 or 30 their costume is ready and t…

...so what's your costume?

Kafka's costume, obviously.

Re: Juvenile great apes love to tease and annoy their elders, study finds

#30

First, they annoy the elders. Then when they grow up to be teenagers, they live in a cave and communicate mostly through grunting. I am at this phase with my children and I make inhumane efforts not to react and let it flow. I hope that when their brain actually fires up when they are 25 or 30, they will be nice kids who realize what their parents when through to raise them. Please comment only to confirm this, I am…

They are doing the reasonable thing to create differentiation between their personality development and yours. They are likely accurately identifying aspects of your behavior that are maladaptive to growing up in their era. The alienation is an effort to create room for themselves to become something else. You can respect the wisdom of their inclinations, or continue to prove them right by not doing so. Either way, they will make themselves as they need.
Post reply on HN