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Conceptualization, context, and comparison are key to understanding the evolution of fear

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 May 2023

Jacob C. Dunn Open the ORCID record for Jacob C. Dunn [Opens in a new window] ,
Rachael Miller ,
Krishna Balasubramaniam ,
Çağlar Akçay  and
Claudia A. F. Wascher
Jacob C. Dunn
Affiliation:
Behavioural Ecology Research Group, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge CB1 1PT, UK jacob.dunn@aru.ac.uk; caglar.akcay@aru.ac.uk; krishna.balasubramaniam@aru.ac.uk; rh87@aru.ac.uk; claudia.wascher@aru.ac.uk https://www.thepeergroup.org.uk; https://aru.ac.uk/people/caglar-akcay; https://aru.ac.uk/people/krishna-n-balasubramaniam; https://aru.ac.uk/people/rachael-miller-harrison; https://aru.ac.uk/people/claudia-wascher Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria Biological Anthropology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1QH, UK
Rachael Miller
Affiliation:
Behavioural Ecology Research Group, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge CB1 1PT, UK jacob.dunn@aru.ac.uk; caglar.akcay@aru.ac.uk; krishna.balasubramaniam@aru.ac.uk; rh87@aru.ac.uk; claudia.wascher@aru.ac.uk https://www.thepeergroup.org.uk; https://aru.ac.uk/people/caglar-akcay; https://aru.ac.uk/people/krishna-n-balasubramaniam; https://aru.ac.uk/people/rachael-miller-harrison; https://aru.ac.uk/people/claudia-wascher Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EB, UK
Krishna Balasubramaniam
Affiliation:
Behavioural Ecology Research Group, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge CB1 1PT, UK jacob.dunn@aru.ac.uk; caglar.akcay@aru.ac.uk; krishna.balasubramaniam@aru.ac.uk; rh87@aru.ac.uk; claudia.wascher@aru.ac.uk https://www.thepeergroup.org.uk; https://aru.ac.uk/people/caglar-akcay; https://aru.ac.uk/people/krishna-n-balasubramaniam; https://aru.ac.uk/people/rachael-miller-harrison; https://aru.ac.uk/people/claudia-wascher
Çağlar Akçay
Affiliation:
Behavioural Ecology Research Group, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge CB1 1PT, UK jacob.dunn@aru.ac.uk; caglar.akcay@aru.ac.uk; krishna.balasubramaniam@aru.ac.uk; rh87@aru.ac.uk; claudia.wascher@aru.ac.uk https://www.thepeergroup.org.uk; https://aru.ac.uk/people/caglar-akcay; https://aru.ac.uk/people/krishna-n-balasubramaniam; https://aru.ac.uk/people/rachael-miller-harrison; https://aru.ac.uk/people/claudia-wascher
Claudia A. F. Wascher
Affiliation:
Behavioural Ecology Research Group, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge CB1 1PT, UK jacob.dunn@aru.ac.uk; caglar.akcay@aru.ac.uk; krishna.balasubramaniam@aru.ac.uk; rh87@aru.ac.uk; claudia.wascher@aru.ac.uk https://www.thepeergroup.org.uk; https://aru.ac.uk/people/caglar-akcay; https://aru.ac.uk/people/krishna-n-balasubramaniam; https://aru.ac.uk/people/rachael-miller-harrison; https://aru.ac.uk/people/claudia-wascher
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Abstract

The fearful ape hypothesis proposes that heightened fearfulness in humans is adaptive. However, despite its attractive anthropocentric narrative, the evidence presented for greater fearfulness in humans versus other apes is not sufficient to support this claim. Conceptualization, context, and comparison are strongly lacking in Grossmann's proposal, but are key to understanding variation in the fear response among individuals and species.

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Open Peer Commentary
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Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 46 , 2023 , e61
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Copyright © The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press

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Footnotes

*

These authors contributed equally.

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