Because baboons are rarely threatened by famine, plague, or predators, they are good models for socialized disease, Sapolsky says. Baboon societies are ironically a lot like Westernized humans. We're ecologically privileged enough that we can invent social and psychological stress. Baboons in the Serengeti, who only work three hours a day to meet their caloric needs, are similarly privileged. They ulcerate because of social complexities.
Mental stresses show up in the body.
But unlike zebras, whose bodies are well adapted to dealing with short-term emergencies like running from hungry lions, primates also experience psychological stresses that can elicit physiological responses that, evoked over time, can make us sick. Sapolsky observes baboons in the wild to determine their ranks, personalities, and social affiliations. Then he anesthetizes them with a blowdart to collect blood samples that reveal levels of stress hormones, antibodies, cholesterol, and other indicators of health status. Sapolsky has found a key to handling stress may be cultivating friendships. And when keeping calm, perspective helps.