British scientists from Newcastle University found that stressed bees are more likely to make pessimistic decisions and become depressed. The research was published in the scientific journal magazine Proceedings of the Royal Society B (RSPB).
The team’s findings are based on experiments in which bees were taught color cues. Some colors signaled a good event (sweet reward), while other colors signaled the worst-case scenario (low amount of sweet reward).
Once the bees learned the difference, they divided into groups. One was stressed by simulating a predatory attack, while the other was unaffected.
It turns out that under stress, bees interpret color signals ambiguously and choose a low-reward location much more often than in the control kin group.
Research author Dr. “Our study shows that bees become more pessimistic after stress because their behavior indicates that they are not expecting rewards,” said Vivek Nithyananda.
The researchers say their findings show how stress can affect bees’ pollination behavior.
Experts noted that this behavior of the bees is reminiscent of the emotional reactions of humans in difficult situations, but it is unclear what kind of emotions the insects experience and whether they experience them.
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