Great Apes kiss and cuddle to keep the peace, says study

Embrace between Little Jake and Little Joey, two juvenile male chimpanzees in a forested sanctuaryTouching, embracing and kissing before stressful events may be an ancient way of building trust, according to scientists studying the behaviour of our closest ape relatives.

Juvenile male Tschibo offers a comforting embrace to juvenile male Oshwe following an aggression where Oshwe was threatened"Comparing bonobos and chimpanzees - our two closest relatives - offers fascinating insight into the evolutionary roots of social behaviour and how they, and we, manage tension, competition and cooperation," said Dr Jake Brooker.

So when humans gather in a football huddle, hug a teammate or offer a pat on a shoulder before a stressful event, they may be drawing on a social toolkit that is millions of years old.