Going Ape Social Climbers S01E03 Full Episode Tune

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six million years ago we branched off from the family tree we share with our eight cousins and monkey uncles we may have evolved since then but there's still a monkey in all of us in this episode we'll show you how to make friends and influence people with help from our primate cousins using hidden cameras stunts and experiments will uncover the primal urge that drives us to be part of the group how you can use your inner ape to be accepted and become more popular lower those stress levels I can actually feel you relaxing get on the right side of your boss oh yeah so you get ready to learn the laws of the jungle because like it or not you are going in have you ever wondered why so many people crave fame okay so there's money and women but also something much more primal going on our desire to be popular comes from an instinctive need to be liked but it doesn't matter if you've got 37 million Twitter followers or just 50 friends on Facebook everything's okay as long as we're part of a group most of our primate cousins spend their entire lives as members of larger groups gorillas live in big families while chimps form mini societies of up to 150 individuals and gelada baboons live in groups of up to 600 strong humans also love to form groups from ones with only a few members to those the size of an entire country and we can be a part of as many as we like to find out why we share this ape-like desire to be part of a group we turn to one of our most primal fuels fear we've set up an experiment inside a terrifying tourist attraction and invited groups of friends to join the fun we've separated them and are sending in each person one at a time to confront the horse alone it's so dark inside we have to use infrared cameras to capture the action they look scared even before entering the rooms of doom [Music] and watch carefully how our victims react when they come face-to-face with their greatest fears [Applause] it might look like a bunch of scaredy cats on a day out there's some very primal behavior at work here their instincts are telling them they're in danger and when it comes to our primate cousins danger is something they live with on a daily basis these screams are an alarm call and every chimp in the group knows it means danger once the outsider is spotted the chimps huddle for protection and group together to block their attacker one of the key reasons is protection lots of eyes and ears to look out for danger and lots of muscle power when you're faced with a threat so pay attention how our own human apes react when they think they're in danger they scream at the first sign of trouble they're sending out an urgent alarm call just like our primate cousins do when they're under attack then there's even more distinct primal behavior as they huddled together fulfilling the need for physical contact and providing a sense of safety while every single person enters the house of horrors alone the primal forces at work ensure they all come out as a group we might not have to worry about getting eaten by a predator every day but as our experiment shows the safety in numbers instinct is still quite strong for Apes there's more to staying safe than grouping up watch this troop of males on their daily Border Patrol when one stops they all stop and if one sniffs out an unfamiliar scent they all sniff they are conforming their behavior instinctively working together to be alert for any signs of danger conforming helps them stay alive and it's a hardwired survival strategy but is it the same for humans in the concrete jungle we are surrounded by strangers an instinctively on constant low-level alert so do we share the Apes hardwired survival instinct and conform in the presence of others to find out a group of students are conducting an experiment they're spending a day following strangers into an elevator and standing with their backs to the door watch what the strangers do when they realize how the group stands [Music] every time they turn and face the same way as the strangers even though they know it's totally irrational they're conforming with the group because like apes we are hard-wired to fit in with those around us but what can we learn from our primate cousins about getting into the group in the first place we can do worse than get tips from our closest living relative the chimpanzee just like us chimps can find it hard to fit in when close bonds have already been established between others to be accepted into a group the best thing a chimp can do is show that he is not a threat and that means acting submissively like crouching or presenting his rump this chimp rejoins his group after weeks in a different enclosure he's tense and approaches with caution he submits to the rowdy game by making himself small sporting a feared grip in chimps it's a sure sign of non-aggression by showing he isn't a threat he's welcomed into the group a smart move because in the chimp world you can't afford to be isolated for us like chimps if you come into a group it seemed like you own the place you're much more likely to be rejected the keys to appease the others to show that your new threat to the established order and the more you want to join that group the more exaggerated that behavior can be meet Greg and Joey they're at this exclusive New York City apartment to apply for their dream gig an intern from music stars entourage it's an exclusive group of glamorous and highly paid people who enjoy their celebrity employers Jet Set lifestyle hanging out with the rich and famous and getting VIP access to all the best parties but they're all played by actors and they're all part of our experiment to show how people behave when they meet a group they want to be part of Greg and Joey think they're real and if they want to become part of this glamorous group they'll have to get on the teams good side Charlotte secretly watches everything in a room upstairs so what's important here isn't really the job it's about being accepted into this incredibly desirable Society Greg and Joey are two ordinary young guys my name is Greg Churchill I'm 24 I would describe myself as outgoing really like people and listening and being around friends my name is Joey ruckus I would describe myself as an authentic person happy energetic full of surprises ahead remember chimps act cautiously show submissive expressions and seek physical contact when trying to become part of a group they say they're outgoing and energetic but let's see how Greg and Joey behave when they first meet the group [Music] thank you he was pretty nervous as you'd imagine but but he comes in is that immediate fixed grin that he's got now that's not just being friendly he's immediately trying to appease the group and in fact it's very reminiscent of a tooth fear Greene and that's because he's exposed his gums just like a submissive chimp would now it's Gregg's turn have you been told anything else about what you would be doing I just know I'm basically here to follow you guys and help you out where are you from Warner is in New York went to school in New Jersey I've made to a man from Queens less so did you spot any a behavior let's have another look he looks immediately startled when he comes into the room again what you might expect to see from an egg as well in a similar situation and when Gregg's offered some physical contact he feels reassured visibly relaxing into an open smile he passes the first test that need to make physical contact such an important way of bonding and and very reassuring that he's starting to being accepted by the group what our wannabes don't know is that there's only one way in through the group's alpha man how far will Joey's and Greg's inner rape go to suck up to the boss chimps can instantly recognize a member of their own group not only by their faces but also by their behinds so when they see an outsider aid intrude on their territory they know to attack humans also loved groups though we can belong to many at the same time we live in massive communities we couldn't possibly get to know every face and bottom in every circle so humans have created a way of recognizing like-minded individuals our uniforms but how much of an effect can these uniforms have on our sense of group identity to find out we've sent this cheeky monkey to get photos of himself in front of the Arsenal Stadium in London home to some of the most passionate soccer fans in the world but he's about to reveal his true colors and they are not the colours of Arsenal's famous beloved soccer team they're the color of their fiercest rivals Tottenham Hotspur this is England's version of the Yankees versus the Red Sox he'll ask Arsenal fans to take his picture in front of the stadium excuse me right just grab me a picture with that in the background nice one thank you mate yeah with the signing yeah they all agreed to take his picture and why not they think they're dealing with a member of their own troop it's just that big one there but watch what happens when he reveals what's under his jacket but the moment they see he's from a rival group everything changes the deal is off they recognize him as being from a different group just by his uniform exactly like chimps who've spotted an unfamiliar outsider straying into their territory he doesn't suffer an ape-like attack but clearly the picture takers don't want anything to do with him now that we know people stick together the next step once you're in a group is to make a few key allies it may look as if they're simply picking lice from one another but these Apes and monkeys are actually engaging in some basic primate politics grooming is the social glue of the ape world it's how alliances are formed and friendships maintained by simply making each other feel good it reduces stress it causes a rush of feel-good endorphins and that Murray cements the bond and brings individuals together and keeps the relationships strong in all primates stress produces a hormone known as cortisol and studies on the cats show that grooming reduces their cortisol but can Apes style grooming have a physiological effect on humans you get yourself as comfortable as you can to find out we enlisted hollywood's principal primate actor Peter Elliot he's spent years studying chimps as research for his blockbuster roles and can groom with the best of them just really relax into it by taking before-and-after saliva samples we'll be able to measure their cortisol levels to determine the distressing effects of this grooming sometimes got a whole line of them doing it to each other and the groomer takes it really seriously they do lip smacking some after being groomed everyone appears visibly relaxed but what is our chemical analysis reveal at the start of the experiment our volunteers saliva samples contain average cortisol levels of 4.5 nanomoles per liter after about five minutes of grooming it dropped by five percent and we've really brought out this young man's inner rape his cortisol level dropped by 10 percent even just a little bit of grooming can be a good thing for any of us Apes high cortisol levels have been shown to cause high blood pressure and weight gain so for a surefire way of keeping a friend healthy and relaxed while cementing those social bonds and getting a rid of ally sir to get grooming with a monkey massage of your own but grooming can be rather inconvenient if you need your hands for something else take the gelada baboons the only grazing primates on the planet their little hands are always busy picking grass leaving less time for grooming so they developed another method of social bonding small talk the constant stream of vocalizations between them and these have an important social function and keeping their society together by understanding this chitchat in geladas you can probably understand something about chit chat in humans what is there chit chat have to do with our chit chat to find out we're sending our undercover cameras to a restaurant and invited these hungry people for a meal they don't know they're actually taking part in an experiment this is our waiter dumb ears with this set of customers he'll use lots of small talk but with these customers there will be no chit chat just the necessary interaction his job requires watch how the diners react when dumb eared uses small talk the atmosphere seems warm and friendly but what about when there's no chit chat just uncomfortable silence so what are the diners who work groomed with small talk think of the service I didn't put in there at first definitely how are you ladies doing tonight where you from how's everything how's your day and how happy were they with the service on a scale of one to ten what about the customers who were groomed with chitchat so the customers groomed with small talk for almost twice as happy as those who weren't which goes to show just how much we value verbal grooming thank you it's pretty obvious small talk makes us happy but why remember how the geladas developed chitchat because their groups are too big and hands are too busy picking grass for all the grooming required well humans evolved to have the biggest social groups of all primates and found even more complicated uses for our hands which some scientists believe is why we developed language no some studies reveal that as much as 80 percent of our daily conversation is non-essential it's simply gossip and small talk however all that chitchat is our alternative to physical grooming it makes us feel good and is essential for forming and maintaining those social bonds so to make friends and influence people perfect that small talk and you'll go a long way it's a lesson our wannabes are about to learn the hard way bet you didn't think you would be doing this today they want to get into the group of their dreams but how will they cope when they find out the boss likes his Remington the physical way oh yeah for the ambitious ape to really get on in life it's not simply a case of how well you grew or even how often it's who you grew and the alpha male is the most attractive grooming partner being his friend provides the greatest benefits support and protection there's often competition between low ranked individuals to groom high ranking individuals and say sometimes you'll sleep thinking of species like chimps a low ranking individual run over to the alpha male and groom as soon as they get an opportunity to do just that low-ranking chimps pay less attention to other subordinates saving their energy for sucking up to the Alpha but is it the same for humans we're back with our wannabe interns remember they think they're being interviewed to be part of a music stars entourage you would be replacing Jackson's position the truth is there is no job instead we're using hidden cameras to witness the lengths they'll go to join the ranks of this exclusive group to find out if they're up to the job we'll see how well they cater to our fictional celebrities bizarre demands like eating only red candy but you didn't think you would be doing this today until now they've played it safe by being nice to everyone in the group but what will happen when we introduce an alpha male the manager we're going to establish the hunter is the man to impress and we're going to see how they respond to name versus the others yeah give you some advice yeah hunter is the key because he's the Manager yeah you gotta come through the bait is set time to send in the subordinates Roode hasn't even bother turning round he obviously felt that it really wasn't worth his while sucking up to these two at all similarly Greg only has eyes for his tasks cool how's the coffee Greg is acknowledging them a little bit more but he's kind of changed carrying a job like savvy chimps they both made almost no effort to verbally groom the subordinates now the boss comes in so will they behave in the same way around the all-important alpha male how's it going crazy mean titty hate daughter jizz him where'd you go to school you went to UC Irvine and then stops to asking questions he's kind of socially grooming him nice what'd you study I actually studied anthropology and Joey graduated school two years ago and eleven and he ignored the subordinates but ramps up his game with the Alpha let's take it to the next level exactly how far will these guys go to get on the Alfa's a list instantly wants go mops it up for him not only that he's prepared to go physically very low on the ground again a very subordinate position to a dogs Greg's willing to get on his knees for the Alpha what about Joey sorry the back is like killing me actually you just rub this part [ __ ] it's like right here yeah instant reaction to an alpha male coming in to physically cream you is what you would see in society thank you oh yeah so both wannabes throw themselves into grooming the alpha just like savvy subordinate Apes they calculate that the easiest way to earn a place in the group is by impressing the boss would you have done the same thing like it or not if you want to get a top position in the group then it really helps to suck up to the alpha whether they are your teacher coach or boss another way to get what you want is through deception what happens if we leave these kids alone with this cake and some very clear instructions but we mustn't be any of the C's okay they wouldn't behave like little monkeys or would they success is all about winning friends and influencing people so once you groom some allies it's time to start working the group to get what you want first you have to master the art of deception something that chimps are very good at indeed just watch how this chimp uses deception to manipulate the younger one her pose suggests that she wants the youngster to groom her but what she really wants is to steal his nut-cracking tool she's blatantly deceived the youngster and looks pretty happy about it too but it's the lower ranking chimps that truly have to live off their wits if a chimp manages to get something he shouldn't have like food he'll take it out of sight to avoid getting in trouble with the Alpha watch what this young chimp does when he gets his hands on some highly sought-after treats he checks to see if the Alpha is watching then scampers away escaping into the bushes and out of sight [Music] so even young chimps know how to get what they want through manipulation and deception but what about human children to see how early our instinct to deceive kicks in we rigged this classroom with hidden cameras and enlisted school kids to help their teacher with a tempting task we have to decorate the cake for her so with these sweets you're gonna decorate the cake to start decorating the cake I'm gonna go and collect some feet from the room next door okay they are alone with a super tempting bowl of candy they're not allowed to eat when chimps use deception they check to see that the Alpha isn't looking then hide their deceit from view let's see if these cheeky little monkeys do the same [Music] no surprise here they decide to break the rules and eat the candy even saving some for later did you eat any of the sweets no do you have any of the sweets no you can have one now for helping me decorate the cake okay so just how ape-like was the cheeky monkeys behavior as soon as the teacher leaves they look out for the person in charge to avoid getting caught in the act just like chimps then when they know the coast is clear they take what they want deception came naturally to all the kids they've already got the first skill needed to manipulate their way around a group it's a skill that like Apes we start learning from an extremely young age incredibly by the age of four 90% of us are already skilled in the art of deception a young child for instance thinks that when they close their eyes or hide their eyes nobody else can see them but gradually they learn that others can have a different point of view now that is important not just for our social interaction but actually ultimately it allows us to manipulate each other and deceive but primates have another tactic for securing their place in the group forming alliances check out these talk macaques stealing food from a house they've teamed up to commit their daylight robbery to find out if humans also team up with partners in crime we're back with our naughty kids we're putting two of them together and leaving them on their own with the candy they know they're not supposed to eat it so they talk each other out of gobbling up the goodies or become partners in crime [Music] it's not long before they give in to temptation and by sharing the spoils they create a bond they're both guilty but it looks like they're both enjoying the payoff if you deceive alone you can get what you want but if you deceive with someone else you can get what you want and get something even more valuable an ally both primates and humans build coalitions forming strong bonds that help them survive [Music] chimps also form alliances and many coalition's to help hold their position in the group if things get rowdy they have back up earlier we saw our entourage wannabes go to great lengths to impress the Alpha though oh yeah what happens when they have the chance to form a coalition with the big man by teaming up to deceive his wife all you have to do is just make her happy [Music] for chimps achieving dominance is all about winning fights and they know they have a better chance if it's two against one the best coalition an ape can make is with the alpha male in the short term sacrificing yourself to gain favour with the boss it can be the very best strategy to get ahead in the long term so how far do you go to be in cahoots with the alpha let's revisit our wannabe interns Greg and Joey they hope a celebrity's entourage will choose them to be their new intern but the entourage is made up of actors it's all part of our experiment to expose the primal strategies we use to get into a group let's see how far Greg and Joey will go to form a coalition with the group's alpha hunter they found out earlier that he's the one who will decide if they get to join the group Hunter is the manager they did their best to suck up by literally grooming him thank you now hunter gets a call from his wife she wants to confirm he's at the zoo setting up his son's birthday party I am at the I'm at the zoo right now it's almost all set up the zoo yeah yeah he's here okay you want to talk to him uh yeah let me go grab him he's about to ask them to become an ally in his deception but first let's find out how honest these two usually are honestly super honest that's very important to me is just being honest with myself pretty honest then so will they turn hunter down or will their instinct to form an alliance with the Alpha proved too strong sure seriously okay she won't speak the zoo guy should make her happy because I'll feel with it later okay all right hold on they both agree to help the Alpha in his time of need even though it means lying to his wife an act of moral betrayal that doesn't come easily the both of them starting to look really uncomfortable in this situation while maybe twisting the truth a little bit as except for actually for most people telling blatant lies is something they're not comfortable with here you can see Craig is touching his tie he's touching his face he even turns away he doesn't want hunter to see how uncomfortable he is in this situation likewise Joey doesn't want to make eye contact with him he's smiling he's shaking his head classic behavior when people really uncomfortable about lying they're uncomfortable look shows they're willing to go outside their comfort zone to back up the Alpha but can they pull it off okay he's right here yes how are you today yeah yes of course yes he's on top of all of it different colors we have a lot of a lot of blue some some good Reds in there well actually no I'm sorry the the blue arrangements were for another party that we had earlier today we're just taking them away yeah we have a whole bunch of red balloons that was my mistake earlier I'm sorry they're both prepared to tell them absolute blatant lie [Music] monkeys and lions tigers we've got a lot of exotic birds that the kids can see my favorite is the reptile exhibits so definitely a lot of animals we have sea otters and an elephants now and actually we're ending the tour with within the elephant exhibit so yeah hey honey uh we gotta go okay cool man - Suzy - that's awesome thank you so much I appreciate those Pat's on the back and high-fives are all they need to know they've bonded with the most important person in the group they certainly impressed the Alpha but how will they react when they overhear the entourage gossiping about them there's something about Joey that I don't trust him there is no doubt that deception can be a useful tool it means you can get the things you want without losing your place in the group but even the smartest of Apes can get caught and when they do they risk being attacked a fight could result in serious injury and even being ejected from the group so chimps do everything they can to avoid conflict and they do it by using what's known as displacement behavior chimps sit and pick it themselves or scratch their skin gorillas might stare at their fingers they'll do pretty much anything to deflect the tense situation but what about humans how do we respond when work hot to find out we've invited models to a fake casting audition this model is our very own undercover 8 when she leaves the room she'll leave behind something private on the table that the other models will be tempted to look at if they take the bait we'll see it on our hidden cameras and send Kellyanne back in the room to catch them red-handed first she's got to arouse their interest no no I think my boobs look wait you fake in that photo no I think that one's like a little too sexy I thought my boobs looked big enough but looking at these models their boobs are so much bigger I think somebody is I look a bit like a like a [ __ ] but I think other ones I think are a bit more tasteful at success they definitely react to the mention of her personal pictures but will they be able to resist the temptation to sneak a peek at the pics of course they can't now look at how they react when they get caught snooping at the sexy snaps [Music] so didn't you spot any ape-like displacement behavior let's go back and take another look when this woman's caught she reacts immediately by coughing touching her hair and pushing up her sleeves all classic displacement activities revealing how anxious she is about being caught in the act when this guy's nabbed he scratches his face exactly like a stressed-out chimp but this woman reacts differently staring at her cell phone as if she's been checking email the whole time just like a gorilla staring at his fingers when caught doing something wrong they all showed signs of stress because like Apes they're desperate to avoid conflict or even worse rejection by the group this alpha male gets the ultimate snub from his group they no longer want him in charge being shunned can be a death sentence in the wild most Apes simply can't survive alone when they endure this level of stress Apes bodies undergo an immediate and extreme reaction including increased heart rate and perspiration fades in humans the worst case scenario is being rejected by the group in fact it's such a hardwired fare that it has a profound effect on both our minds and our bodies are wannabes are back for one last experiment remember they think they're taking part in an interview to become part of the entourage of a music star but there's no job in the end instead we've been using our hidden cameras to analyze the ape-like tactics they use to join the group of their dreams right now they're being told that they have to take a medical exam to show they're healthy enough to join the entourage being Greek to a home monitor and a GCR which takes the conductivity of their skin from their fingertips and their palms to see how much they're sweating both guys appear fit and healthy with normal heart rate and perspiration readings but we're not really interested in their health instead we're carrying out another secret experiment this time we'll find out if Group rejection provokes the same primal fear response in humans as it does in Apes two group members will discuss the wannabes just outside the door so they accidentally overhear how will they react physiologically Greg what about Greg like I feel like he's gonna get really caught up in their celebrity and right when she needs him he's gonna bail and like try and promote himself immediately Greg's heart rate shoots up it doubles from 79 beats per minute to 165 and his sweat levels increased dramatically now it's Joey's turn I'm worried about Joey like I feel like he's trying too hard and I don't really I don't there's something about Joey but I don't trust him his heart rate almost doubles to 82 to 150 beats per minute and his sweat response also goes up by almost 100% I mean you know how hunter isn't he doesn't like something he gets really quiet and he was really smoldering in the beginning and I just think that we need him so much to plan the tour yeah I think Joey would just agitate him just like an excluded ape the rejection is having a dramatic effect on our humans vital statistics look closely and you can also spot stress signs in their body language heads down covering his face his shoulders have drops touching his tie and displacement activity again he really is a picture of rejection Joey is less animated but no less stressed here you can see his lips are slightly parted he's desperately trying to regulate his breathing he's trying to keep his composure greg's and Joey's reactions demonstrate that humans are programmed to respond to rejection in exactly the same way as Apes luckily for our wannabes their rejection isn't real they're relieved to learn that the whole interview was an experiment in the name of science [Applause] Thanks does my heart rate is back to a normal level when my name was being mentioned outside the room my heart immediately started pounding and I couldn't stop it no matter how hard I tried those people were talking about me right outside the door the benefits of being in a group mean that just like Apes we're programmed to be social creatures so if you want to get into a new group or increase your popularity remember the laws of our jungle perfect your small talk and become the master of verbal grooming make alliances and strengthen those bonds by forming coalition's then by perfecting the art of staying out of trouble and avoiding conflict you'll be at the top of the social ladder in no time with over seven billion human Apes on the planet we've never needed each other more so embrace that ape within polish those social skills and you can be king of the jungle