Do you know that Mirror-Trained Monkeys Like Looking at Themselves?

A new study has revealed that humans aren't the only animals that love to admire themselves in a mirror. The study says that monkeys have also figured out what the mirror is used for just with a little training.

The study, published in the journal Current Biology, proves that animals can be taught how to use a mirror because the skill required is only tied to self-recognition—and they(monkeys) understand that the reflections are of themselves.

“Our findings suggest that the monkey brain has the basic ‘hardware’ [for mirror self-recognition], but they need appropriate training to acquire the ‘software’ to achieve self-recognition,” lead author Neng Gong of the Chinese Academy of Sciences said in a press release.

In prior studies, only brainy animals known for their smarts could pass the “mirror test.” They include bonobos, chimpanzees, orangutans, gorillas, bottlenose dolphins, orcas, Asian elephants, Eurasian magpies and, of course, humans. Although the impairment of self-recognition in patients implies the existence of cognitive/neurological deficits in self-processing brain mechanisms, our finding raised the possibility that such deficits might be remedied via training,” Gong and his colleagues wrote in the paper.

However, Brain disorders like mental retardation, autism, schizophrenia and Alzheimer’s disease can deprive people of the ability to recognize themselves in a mirror.

Photo credit: Discovery News