Scratching Through the Mind: What Japanese Macaques Reveal About the Evolution of Emotion

How a Simple Bodily Response Unlocks Complex Cognition in Primates

For centuries, scientists have debated whether emotions begin in the body or the mind. The James-Lange theory, a cornerstone of psychology, suggests that our bodily reactions precede and shape our feelings—we tremble, then feel fear; we cry, then feel sorrow. But while this theory has been tested in humans, what about our primate cousins? Do they, too, …