Apes say "no" with a head shake, animals are lefties and righties, and getting out in nature is good. Duh!

We often think we're alone in the cognitive and emotional arena but as data accumulate we learn how wrong we can be. Recently, bonobos, also known as as pygmy chimpanzees, were filmed saying "no" by shaking their heads. These preventive head-shakes were used in a number of situations in which an individual wanted to prevent another bonobo from doing something they didn't want them to do. Perhaps they are important in negotiating social conflict. Further research is needed to see if bonobo "no" head-shaking is a precursor of human "no" head-shaking.

Another very interesting finding is that animals show a preference for using one "hand" rather than the other, even individuals of the same species. This is called lateralization. Some examples include:

"Dogs: See if Fido wags his tail to his left or right. If he's like most dogs, furious wagging to the right means he is relaxed and ready to approach whatever he sees; if he wags to the left he might prefer to withdraw.

"Cats and rodents: Give your cat, rat or hamster a jar with a tasty treat and see which paw they use to try and extract it. If your pet is a cat, expect toms to use their left paws and the females to use their right.

"Fish: Place an unfamiliar object in the centre of your fish tank and record if your fish go around it clockwise or anticlockwise, indicating their eye preference.

"Reptiles and amphibians: Move a food morsel into your pet's field of view from either the left or right side and watch which direction elicits more or quicker catches. For most species tested so far, the right side appears to be the favourite."

In humans it's been discovered that "that left-handers have an advantage in many sports involving a direct opponent, such as tennis or boxing, and the advantages may run to more serious encounters ..."

Finally, something we "know" has been verified: "Just five minutes of exercise in a "green space" such as a park can boost mental health ..." The strongest impact is on young people. While this report doesn't mention the importance of seeing or simply sensing the presence of animals while "out in nature," there are data that show the presence of animals also boosts our morale even in the workplace. (See also and Allen Schoen's Kindred Spirits: How the Remarkable Bond Between Humans and Animals Can Change the Way We Live and Meg Olmert's Made for Each Other.)

While we are different from other animals we are also rather similar. We must recognize and honor the differences and similarities as we negotiate our interactions with our animal kin. How lucky we are to share the world with fascinating animals and that there is on-going research to learn more about who we are and who "they" are.