The monkeys, bananas and ladder experiment: obeying silly rules

Why do both primates and humans tend to follow silly rules out of mere tradition?

It's a story many of us have heard in conversations about mass acceptance of rules.

A seemingly simple experiment, with a small group of monkeys being put in a cage and a few bananas that they might try to reach..

The experiment with the monkeys, the ladder and the bananas

As in almost all researches in which animal behavior is studied, the experiment starts with a cage. Five healthy monkeys are placed inside it and, in the center of the cage, a ladder with bananas at the top.

Predictably, the monkeys soon start climbing up the ladder in order to reach the food.. However, their plan is interrupted each time by an unpleasant surprise: every time a monkey climbs the steps, the researchers spray the rest of the primates with cold water.

This turns every attempt to access the bananas into a major reprimand from the monkeys to the individual who tries it: shouting, hitting, biting... anything goes to make sure that no one else has a similar occurrence. These practices were quite effective: after a while, no monkey would try to pick up the bananas, despite the temptation to eat them.. But the interesting part of the example comes later.

Introducing some changes

At this point, the researchers take one monkey out of the cage and put another in its place. This "rookie" sees the bananas on top of the ladder and, as he has not been able to catch up with what happens to those who try to do something yes, he is beaten and shouted at by the others: the fear of freezing water is still present. This monkey does not understand the reason for this punishment, as he has not witnessed the cold water falling, but after a few attempts he simply concludes that reaching for the bananas is not a good idea.

Once this is done, the researchers replace another of the monkeys with a new one. This newcomer does the same as the first upon seeing the bananas and the ladder, and the response of the rest is the same: punishment. However, this time, however, the first newcomer monkey also participates in the reprimand..

From that point on, the researchers replace all the monkeys until none of the 5 monkeys remaining in the cage have come to witness the falling ice water. When someone tries to climb the ladder, these animals still react with the same violence as the five monkeys at the beginning.

The fable of obedience to rules

This story is about the performance of an experiment, but, although its setting has to do with what happens in some psychology and zoology laboratories, this research does not exist as such: it has not been performed and, therefore, there is no conclusion with scientific value that can be drawn from it..

However, that does not mean that the story has no value as a fable. And the story of the monkeys, the bananas and the ladder is an example of blind obedience to the rules by blind obedience to the rules on the part of a group of monkeys..

The first five monkeys had objective grounds for not wanting anyone to climb the ladder: every time they did, they were punished. However, the other monkeys obeyed the rules without having any reason to do so.. And not only did they obey them, but they perpetuated them through their behavior. The rule prohibiting climbing the ladder, despite its absurdity, had become part of their lives, to the point where they invested time and effort in making it continue to exist. Can the same thing happen with the rules we humans choose to reproduce through our actions?