Why do we share food?

Saturday 14 September 2013 1:17PM (view full episode)

When we give someone part of our lunch, or take a meal round to someone who's ill, are we simply pouring the milk of human kindness or is there something else motivating our food sharing behaviour?

Anthropologists at the University of California have identified reciprocity as an expectation when we share food, but that doesn't necessarily make us mercenary.

There's also evidence to suggest what we expect in return differs from food sharing amongst other primates like gorillas, orangutans and chimpanzees. According to Professor of Anthropology, Michael Gurvan, humans tend to expect food to be shared back as we place a higher value on it than other primates who have learnt to forage and survive at an earlier age.

In contrast, gorillas, orangutans and chimpanzees may share food in expectation of protection, shelter, grooming or support in hierarchical disputes.

To test that theory, we pay a visit to the primate section of Melbourne Zoo to ask staff about their real world experiences. Listen to the audio for what we discovered!

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Michael Gurvan
Professor of Anthropology, University of California Santa Barbara
Damian Lewis
Senior keeper, Primates at Melbourne Zoo


Michael Mackenzie
Maria Tickle

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