Sasha Winkler

Dr. Sasha Winkler is a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Department of Evolutionary Anthropology. She is conducting research with the Pontzer lab on metabolism and behavior in baboons.

Current Appointments & Affiliations

Postdoctoral Associate Evolutionary Anthropology, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences

In the News

Published June 26, 2025

Study shows that apes are more optimistic after hearing laughter

Published February 15, 2024

Great Apes Love to Tease, Poke and Pester, Suggesting the Urge to Annoy Is Millions of Years Old

Published February 13, 2024

Do Apes Joke Around?

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Recent Publications

Bonobos tend to behave optimistically after hearing laughter

Journal Article Scientific Reports · June 26, 2025 AbstractEmotions mediate a wide range of cognitive functions, including memory, attention, and decision making. Studies of emotion in non-human animals have typically focused on negative emotions—like fear—that h ... Full text Cite

Spontaneous playful teasing in four great ape species.

Journal Article Proceedings. Biological sciences · February 2024 Joking draws on complex cognitive abilities: understanding social norms, theory of mind, anticipating others' responses and appreciating the violation of others' expectations. Playful teasing, which is present in preverbal infants, shares many of these cog ... Full text Cite

The development of sex differences in play in wild white-faced capuchins (Cebus capucinus).

Journal Article American journal of primatology · November 2022 Many mammalian species display sex differences in the frequency of play behavior, yet the animal literature includes few longitudinal studies of play, which are important for understanding the developmental timing of sex differences and the evolutionary fu ... Full text Cite

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External Links

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