Leadership also increases stress in animals

The role of leader increases stress in animals too

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A study conducted at the University of Zurich has shown that when animals make decisions for their group, their hearts beat faster.

This content was published on

July 23, 2025 – 10:22

This is particularly the case when members of the group do not agree on how to proceed or when individuals fail in their attempts to lead the group, Damien Farine, one of the researchers at the University of Zurich and author of the study, published on Tuesday in the journal Current Biology, told the Keystone-SDA news agency.

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To carry out their research, the team from the University of Zurich implanted heart rate monitors in a group of vulturine guinea fowl from East Africa. They specifically studied the direction in which the animals moved.

The guinea fowl that wanted to change direction had a faster heart rate. Those that tried to initiate a change of direction but failed showed particularly high stress symptoms.

Humans too

“This species of bird is well suited to such a study because it is logistically easy to observe,” explained Farine. What’s more, they live in large groups with complex social structures. “We assume, however, that our results are likely to apply to most species living in groups,” she added.

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According to the researcher, all social animals face similar challenges: they have to make group decisions, maintain cohesion and at the same time assert their own needs, such as eating when others want to rest. This also applies to humans, according to Farine.

“We go through the same processes every day, for example when we walk with other people and make decisions – often unconsciously – about which way to go.”

Adapted from French by DeepL/ac

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Leadership also increases stress in animals

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