When a honeybee is exposed to a stressful situation, it tends to look at life with a less-than positive attitude, according to researchers at Newcastle University.
Further examining stress and how it affects an individual’s physical and mental conditions, the team of scientists put half of a group of bees in a situation that mimicked what would occur if their hive were being attacked by a honey badger.
When compared to insects that endured no trauma, the stressed-out bees were less likely to try to drink a liquid which smelled bitter. The researchers concluded that the traumatizing event made the honeybees less optimistic.
“Bees stressed by a simulated predator attack exhibit pessimism mirroring that seen in depressed and anxious people,” said lead author Geraldine Wright.
Study authors noted that the bees’ response to stress was much like that seen in humans, dogs, cats and rodents
