Animals are similar to people as they get grumpier as they become old
Animals get grumpier as they get older – just like humans.
Boffins have found our pets turn into Victor Meldrews too as they reach their later years. Dr Josh Firth, from the University of Leeds, said: “Animal populations are a great way of considering the fundamental rules of how ageing may shape societies.
“Overall, it’s looking like there’s a very general pattern of individuals becoming less social with age.”
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He suggests it is because all species want to reduce their chances of catching illness and disease as they weaken. The academic also reckons that moody older people do not need to share information in the same way younger people do.
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But he advised focusing on the potential benefits of social connections as we age. He reckons that new technologies, including virtual interactions, might help humans get the best of both worlds.
The collection of 16 studies, including six from the University of Leeds, have been published in a special issue of the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society journal.
Researchers in one study, which analysed 150 species of animal, found the more social ones lived longer and had larger reproductive windows. In another study that looked at house sparrows, boffins found that older birds have smaller social circles when their peers die.
Research leader Professor Amanda Bretman said: “In humans, a poor social environment can have the same level of impact as smoking or obesity on healthy ageing. We also know that the same is true for other animals.”
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