It's Only Human?

We humans, from a very early age, tend to behave prosocially to other people. This tendency appears to extend to some other animals. A paper in the journal Human-Animal Interactions looked at toddlers, as young as 2, interacting with dogs. Toys or food treats for dogs were placed just out of the animal's reach. The toddlers seemed to understand the dog's desires, especially when it whimpered or pawed after the item. They were often prepared to go out of their way to help the dog get the item. This was, in spite of, never having met the dog before and the chances of the animal returning the favour being 'vanishingly small' (https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/jan/16/altruism-towards-other-species-may-have-helped-humans-thrive-study-finds). It remains to be established whether this 'altruism' by toddlers, extends to other animal species e.g. cats, rabbits, gerbils, chickens etc. It's been argued that 'altruistic' behaviour (e.g. leaving out food) may have helped humans thrive thoughout the world. In deed, altruism may have facilitated the domestication of species, something which has proved very beneficial to our survival.