Monkeys like watching TV, study shows

London, June 16 (ANI): A new study by Japanese scientists has shown that monkeys like watching television.

Scientists monitored the brain of a three-year-old male rhesus macaque during an experiment and found that it thoroughly enjoyed a video of a circus elephant, giraffe and tiger performing.

As part of their study, the researchers used a technique called near-infrared spectroscopy to examine various aspects of the blood flow to the brain of the monkey while it was watching the television images, reports the Telegraph.

The study found that when the monkey was witnessing the acrobatic performances of circus animals on a television screen, the frontal lobe area of its brain became vigorously active.

The activity in such an area was significant in reflecting the monkey's pleasure, as the human equivalent is a neurological area associated with triggering delight in a baby when it sees the smile of its mother.

The new experiment reflects the latest parallels between the physiological make-up of monkeys and humans.

The study was published in Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, the Swiss online scientific journal. (ANI)