Sasha Winkler

Journal Article Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences · February 2026 What are the mechanisms that enable organisms to detect and respond to the actions of others? Social contingency, or the degree to which one's actions reliably elicit timely and relevant responses from another, underlies adaptive behaviour and social inter ... Full text Open Access Cite

Does playful teasing help great apes learn about social relationships?

Journal Article Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences · February 2026 Understanding social relationships is critical to succeeding in primate societies. In species with complex social networks (including humans), correctly predicting the strength of one's social relationships or bonds helps individuals better navigate future ... Full text Open Access Cite

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

Play vocalisations and human laughter: a comparative review

Journal Article Bioacoustics · January 1, 2021 Complex social play is well-documented across many animals. During play, animals often use signals that facilitate beneficial interactions and reduce potential costs, such as escalation to aggression. Although greater focus has been given to visual play si ... Full text Cite

Just kidding: the evolutionary roots of playful teasing.

Journal Article Biology letters · September 2020 Accounts of teasing have a long history in psychological and sociological research, yet teasing itself is vastly underdeveloped as a topic of study. As a phenomenon that moves along the border between aggression and play, teasing presents an opportunity to ... Full text Cite

Sex differences in the impact of social status on hair cortisol concentrations in rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta).

Journal Article American journal of primatology · January 2020 Social status impacts stress in primates, but the direction of the effect differs depending on species, social style, and group stability. This complicates our ability to identify broadly applicable principles for understanding how social status impacts he ... Full text Cite

Intermittent pair-housing, pair relationship qualities, and HPA activity in adult female rhesus macaques.

Journal Article American journal of primatology · May 2018 Laboratory rhesus macaques are often housed in pairs and may be temporarily or permanently separated for research, health, or management reasons. While both long-term social separations and introductions can stimulate a stress response that impacts inflamm ... Full text Cite