Apes deliberately spin around in order to make themselves dizzy, researchers discover

Researchers have found that great apes deliberately spin around in order to make themselves dizzy.

University of Warwick and the University of Birmingham academics have suggested that the findings could provide clues into humans evolving the desire to seek "altered mental states" and actively manipulate their mood and perception of reality.

Videos in which gorillas, chimpanzees, bonobos and orangutans spin to deliberately make themselves dizzy informed the study.

"If all great apes seek dizziness... our ancestors are also highly likely to have done so," Dr Adriano Lameira, associate professor of psychology at the University of Warwick said.

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