the hundredth monkey experiment

When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change. - Wayne W. Dyer You are an explorer, and you represent our species, and the greatest good you can do is to bring back a new idea, because our world is endangered by the absence of good ideas. Our world is in crisis because of the absence of consciousness. - Terence McKenna My experience is what I agree to attend to. - William James

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The 100th monkey effect explained

A story about influence....

There’s one question we’re often asked: what’s your name all about?

Google the 100th Monkey effect and you’ll find aplenty. But put simply, we like to think of it as how an idea, a narrative, or a message becomes accepted as a truth. It is a story about influence.

That’s the headline. Read on for the detail.

The hundredth monkey phenomenon dates back to a study in 1952 which followed the behaviour of a hungry young female monkey living in the wild on a Japanese island. One day, perhaps fed up with the residual taste of grit in her mouth after mealtimes, she had a bright idea; she washed her dirt-encrusted potatoes in a stream before eating them.

Her family watched on, curiously, then followed suit. Then her playmates. Then their families. One-by-one, this behavioural change spread within the troupe.

But it was what scientists reportedly observed next that was remarkable. When exactly the 100th monkey got involved (yes, I agree, it’s a suspiciously round number) the new idea transformed from being an exception to the norm. Overnight, every monkey and every troupe on the whole island began washing their potatoes before eating them.

Monkey no.100 is what is now described as the point at which ‘critical mass’ had been reached … the tipping point for all other monkeys to follow suit.

It’s an interesting tale, that caught our eye. Not because of an obsession with monkeys, or potatoes. But because critical mass theory can be considered in light of every social movement, big and small. Why and how was it that drink driving finally became socially unacceptable? What were the messages that changed public perception on smoking once and for all? When will – or has? – the climate crisis cut through to genuinely change behaviours? Is it simply a numbers game? Or is there more to it, deeper levels of communication and influence afoot?

It is only right to acknowledge that we also chose the name because it is ‘stand out’ and memorable, and to this day we continue to take the monkey monikers coined by our clients  – e.g. “the monkey people”, “wise monkeys”, “monkey business” – with pride and good grace 🙂

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The Hundredth Monkey Revisited

Going back to the original sources puts a new light on this popular story, by elaine myers.

One of the articles in Strategies For Cultural Change (IC#9) Originally published in Spring 1985 on page 10 Copyright (c)1985, 1997 by Context Institute

Is there some magic key that provides a short cut to cultural transformation?

Elaine Myers has had articles in issues #2, #5, and #7. She lives in rural southwest Washington state.

THE STORY OF "The Hundredth Monkey" has recently become popular in our culture as a strategy for social change. Lyall Watson first told it in Lifetide (pp147- 148), but its most widely known version is the opening to the book The Hundredth Monkey, by Ken Keyes. (See below.) The story is based on research with monkeys on a northern Japanese Island, and its central idea is that when enough individuals in a population adopt a new idea or behavior, there occurs an ideological breakthrough that allows this new awareness to be communicated directly from mind to mind without the connection of external experience and then all individuals in the population spontaneously adopt it. "It may be that when enough of us hold something to be true, it becomes true for everyone." (Watson, p148)

I found this to be a very appealing and believable idea. The concept of Jung’s collective unconscious, and the biologists’ morphogenetic fields (IN CONTEXT #6} offer parallel stories that help strengthen this strand of our imaginations. Archetypes, patterns, or fields that are themselves without mass or energy, could shape the individual manifestations of mass and energy. The more widespread these fields are, the greater their influence on the physical level of reality. We sometimes mention the Hundredth Monkey Phenomenon when we need supporting evidence of the possibility of an optimistic scenario for the future, especially a future based on peace instead of war. If enough of us will just think the right thoughts, then suddenly, almost magically, such ideas will become reality.

However, when I went back to the original research reports cited by Watson, I did not find the same story that he tells. Where he claims to have had to improvise details, the research reports are quite precise, and they do not support the "ideological breakthrough" phenomenon. At first I was disappointed; but as I delved deeper into the research I found a growing appreciation for the lessons the real story of these monkeys has for us. Based on what I have learned from the Japan Monkey Center reports in Primates, vol. 2, vol. 5 and vol. 6, here is how the real story seems to have gone.

Up until 1958, Keyes’ description follows the research quite closely, although not all the young monkeys in the troop learned to wash the potatoes. By March, 1958, 15 of the 19 young monkeys (aged two to seven years} and 2 of the 11 adults were washing sweet potatoes. Up to this time, the propagation of the innovative behavior was on an individual basis, along family lines and playmate relationships. Most of the young monkeys began to wash the potatoes when they were one to two and a half years old. Males older than 4 years, who had little contact with the young monkeys, did not acquire the behavior.

By 1959, the sweet potato washing was no longer a new behavior to the group. Monkeys that had acquired the behavior as juveniles were growing up and having their own babies. This new generation of babies learned sweet potato washing behavior through the normal cultural pattern of the young imitating their mothers. By January, 1962, almost all the monkeys in the Koshima troop, excepting those adults born before 1950, were observed to be washing their sweet potatoes. If an individual monkey had not started to wash sweet potatoes by the time he was an adult, he was unlikely to learn it later, regardless of how widespread it became among the younger members of the troop.

In the original reports, there was no mention of the group passing a critical threshold that would impart the idea to the entire troop. The older monkeys remained steadfastly ignorant of the new behavior. Likewise, there was no mention of widespread sweet potato washing in other monkey troops. There was mention of occasional sweet potato washing by individual monkeys in other troops, but I think there are other simpler explanations for such occurrences. If there was an Imo in one troop, there could be other Imo-like monkeys in other troops.

Instead of an example of the spontaneous transmission of ideas, I think the story of the Japanese monkeys is a good example of the propagation of a paradigm shift, as in Thomas Kuhn’s The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. The truly innovative points of view tend to come from those on the edge between youth and adulthood. The older generation continues to cling to the world view they grew up with. The new idea does not become universal until the older generation withdraws from power, and a younger generation matures within the new point of view.

It is also an example of the way that simple innovations can lead to extensive cultural change. By using the water in connection with their food, the Koshima monkeys began to exploit the sea as a resource in their environment. Sweet potato washing led to wheat washing, and then to bathing behavior and swimming, and the utilization of sea plants and animals for food. "Therefore, provisioned monkeys suffered changes in their attitude and value system and were given foundations on which pre-cultural phenomena developed." (M Kawai, Primates, Vol 6, #1, 1965).

What does this say about morphogenetic fields, and the collective unconscious? Not very much, but the "ideological breakthrough" idea is not what Sheldrake’s theory of morphogenetic fields would predict anyway. That theory would recognize that the behavior of the older monkeys (not washing) also is a well-established pattern. There may well be a "critical mass" required to shift a new behavior from being a fragile personal idiosyncrasy to being a well-established alternative, but creating a new alternative does not automatically displace older alternatives. It just provides more choices. It is possible that the washing alternative established by the monkeys on Koshima Island did create a morphogenetic field that made it easier for monkeys on other islands to "discover" the same technique, but the actual research neither supports nor denies that idea. It remains for other cultural experiments and experiences to illuminate this question.

What the research does suggest, however, is that holding positive ideas (as important a step as this is) is not sufficient by itself to change the world. We still need direct communication between individuals, we need to translate our ideas into action, and we need to recognize the freedom of choice of those who choose alternatives different from our own.

The Japanese monkey, Macaca fuscata, has been observed in the wild for a period of over 30 years.

In 1952, on the island of Koshima, scientists were providing monkeys with sweet potatoes dropped in the sand. The monkeys liked the taste of the raw sweet potatoes, but they found the dirt unpleasant.

An 18-month-old female named Imo found she could solve the problem by washing the potatoes in a nearby stream. She taught this trick to her mother. Her playmates also learned this new way and they taught their mothers, too.

This cultural innovation was gradually picked up by various monkeys before the eyes of the scientists.

Between 1953 and 1958 all of the young monkeys learned to wash the sandy sweet potatoes to make them more palatable.

Only the adults who imitated their children learned this social improvement. Other adults kept eating the dirty sweet potatoes.

Then something startling took place. In the autumn of 1958, a certain number of Koshima monkeys were washing sweet potatoes – the exact number is not known.

Let us suppose that when the sun rose one morning there were 99 monkeys on Koshima Island who had learned to wash their sweet potatoes.

Let us further suppose that later that morning the hundred monkey learned to wash potatoes.

THEN IT HAPPENED!

By that evening almost everyone in the tribe was washing sweet potatoes before eating them.

The added energy of this hundredth monkey somehow created an ideological breakthrough!

But notice.

A most surprising thing observed by these scientists was that the habit of washing sweet potatoes then jumped over the sea –

Colonies of monkeys on other islands and the mainland troop of monkeys at Takasakiyama began washing their sweet potatoes!

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Hundredth monkey phenomenon.

I live and work alone and travel light, relying largely on my memory and making a point of letting intuition guide my way. --Lyall Watson

I am forced to improvise the details, but as near as I can tell, this is what seems to have happened. In the autumn of that year an unspecified number of monkeys on Koshima were washing sweet potatoes in the sea. . . . Let us say, for argument's sake, that the number was ninety-nine and that at eleven o'clock on a Tuesday morning, one further convert was added to the fold in the usual way. But the addition of the hundredth monkey apparently carried the number across some sort of threshold, pushing it through a kind of critical mass, because by that evening almost everyone was doing it. Not only that, but the habit seems to have jumped natural barriers and to have appeared spontaneously, like glycerine crystals in sealed laboratory jars, in colonies on other islands and on the mainland in a troop at Takasakiyama.

Yes, according to Watson, one monkey taught another to wash sweet potatoes who taught another who taught another and soon all the monkeys on the island were washing potatoes where no monkey had ever washed potatoes before. When the "hundredth" monkey learned to wash potatoes, suddenly and spontaneously and mysteriously monkeys on other islands, with no physical contact with the potato-washing cult, started washing potatoes! Was this monkey telepathy at work or just monkey business on Watson's part?

It makes for a cute story, but it isn't true. At least, the part about spontaneous transmission of a cultural trait across space without contact is not true. There really were some macaque monkeys who washed their sweet potatoes. One monkey started it and soon others joined in. But even after six years not all the monkeys saw the benefit of washing the grit off of their potatoes by dipping them into the sea. Watson made up the part about the mysterious transmission. The claim that monkeys on other islands had their consciousness raised to the high level of the potato-washing cult is a myth ( Amundson 1985 , 1987; Pössel and Amundson, 1996).

Ron Amundson wrote a very critical article of Watson's claim in 1985. In 1986, in a response to Amundson's critique of the hundredth monkey claim, Watson said his data came from "off-the-record conversations with those familiar with the potato-washing work." Markus Pössel contacted Masao Kawai, one of the senior researchers working on the original macaque project, and asked him about Watson's claims. Kawai said he was not "aware of any sweet potato washing or other skills that propagated more rapidly than would be expected by normal, individual, 'pre-cultural' propagation." When asked about "spontaneous and rapid spread of sweet potato washing from Koshima to groups of macaques on other islands and on the mainland," Kawai responded: "Individual monkeys in other groups or in zoos may have accidentally learned washing behavior, but it hasn't been observed anywhere on Koshima that washing behavior has spread to other group members" ( Pössel and Amundson 1996 ).

When asked if there were "anecdotes or bits of folklore" among his primatologist colleagues regarding rapid behavior propagation, Kawai said "No." And when asked were there any contacts between Lyall Watson and his (Kawai's) colleagues, Kawai said "No." Thus, I repeat: Watson created the hundredth monkey phenomenon. Amundson refers to Watson's "myth-making" rather than his confabulation. Watson's response to Amundson's critique was published in the Fall 1986 issue of Whole Earth Review . Watson wrote: "I accept Amundson's analysis of the origin and evolution of the Hundredth Monkey without reservation. It is a metaphor of my own making, based—as he rightly suggests—on very slim evidence and a great deal of hearsay. I have never pretended otherwise. . . ." Watson apparently made no effort to contact the researchers to inquire about the hearsay he claims he heard. In any case, Watson did not put forth the idea as a metaphor; he put it forth as a fact for which there was some unspecified hearsay evidence.

It should be noted that Watson was the author of some 25 books, and the hundredth monkey nonsense involves only a few paragraphs of his total output. Watson was unrepentant about it, however, and wrote on his website : "I still think it's a good idea!" As a metaphor? Or as a fact? I wonder.

The notion of raising consciousness through reaching critical mass is being promoted by a number of New Age spiritualists. Ken Keyes, Jr. has published a book on the Internet that calls for an end to the nuclear menace and the mass destruction which surely awaits us all if we do not make a global breakthrough soon. The title of his treatise is The Hundredth Monkey . In his book he writes such things as "there is a point at which if only one more person tunes-in to a new awareness, a field is strengthened so that this awareness is picked up by almost everyone!"

It seems to be working for spreading the word about the hundredth monkey phenomenon.

Even though there is no evidence for the hundredth monkey phenomenon, Rupert Sheldrake has claimed that his theory of morphic resonance explains "the increasing ease with which new skills are learned as greater quantities of a population acquire them. " *

Watson died in June 2008, but his legacy lives on in the hundredth monkey myth.

Amundson, Ron. "The Hundredth Monkey Phenomenon," Skeptical Inquirer , Summer 1985. Reprinted in The Hundredth Monkey and Other Paradigms of the Paranormal , ed. Kendrick Frazier (Buffalo, N.Y.: Prometheus Books, 1991). Available online here .

Amundson, Ron. "Watson and the Hundredth Monkey Phenomenon," Skeptical Inquirer , Spring 1987.

Last updated 27-Oct-2015

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The Hundredth Monkey

a supposed phenomenon in which a learned behaviour spreads instantaneously from one group of monkeys to all related monkeys once a critical number is reached. By generalisation it means the instant, paranormal spreading of an idea or ability to the remainder of a population once a certain portion of that population has heard of the new idea or learned the new ability … This story was further popularized by Ken Keyes, Jr. with the publication of his book. Keyes presented the “Hundredth Monkey Effect” story as an inspirational parable, applying it to human society and the effecting of positive change therein.

• i. Foreword
• 1. The Hundredth Monkey
• 2. Then It Happened!
• 3. It Could Happen Any Minute!
• 4. Today Protective Measures Are Ineffective, and Ultimately Futile
• 5. Mass Action Is Effective
• 6. Understanding, Cooperation, and Love are the Keys to Human Survival!
• 7. We Win Some And We Lose Some
• 8. Whatever That Critical Number Is, You Are Needed to Save Our Civilization
• 9. You Know the Immensity of the Dangers
• Author's End Note

This work is in the public domain worldwide because it has been so released by the author.

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The 100th Monkey Effect: Fact, Fiction, or a Powerful Metaphor for Change?

The fascinating case of the 100th monkey effect.

The story of the 100th Monkey Effect has been passed down through the years, sparking controversy and debate among scientists, spiritualists, and those seeking to understand the nature of consciousness. But what is this intriguing phenomenon, and does it hold any truth?

The story goes like this:

In the 1950s, a group of Japanese macaque monkeys on the island of Koshima began washing their sweet potatoes before eating them. This behavior spread through the population until, at some point, it was said that a critical mass was reached —  the so-called 100th monkey.

Suddenly, monkeys on other islands, with no direct contact to the original group, began to exhibit the same behavior.

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This phenomenon was later coined the “100th Monkey Effect” and is often used as an example of a sudden, widespread shift in consciousness or collective learning. While many embrace the concept as a powerful symbol of change, others dismiss it as a mere anecdote, lacking scientific rigor.

One might argue that just because a certain amount of monkeys (definitely over 100) can perform circus tricks, doesn’t mean the others suddenly can do them too! 

There is, indeed, a lack of solid evidence to support the phenomenon as a genuine scientific discovery. However, the notion that the 100th Monkey Effect represents a leap in collective consciousness remains an enticing and influential idea.

The 100th Monkey Effect, despite the controversy surrounding its scientific validity, still holds immense value as a powerful metaphor for change. It serves as a reminder that our individual actions and thoughts can have a significant impact on the collective consciousness. 

Article Reccomendation: Collective Consciousness: What Is It and How Can We Tap Into It?

When we raise our own awareness and strive to evolve, we contribute to the growth and evolution of those around us.

There is beauty in the idea that a single monkey’s choice to wash its sweet potato could inspire change across the entire species, and even our own. This concept transcends the debate surrounding the 100th Monkey Effect, reminding us that we have the power to inspire transformation within ourselves and others.

As we continue to explore the mysteries of the 100th Monkey Effect, we must remember that it’s not merely about proving or disproving the existence of a phenomenon, but rather understanding the deeper meaning it can convey.  

Whether fact or fiction, the 100th Monkey Effect stands as a potent symbol of hope, inspiration, and the potential for collective growth and transformation.

In the grand tapestry of life, each thread is woven with purpose, contributing to the greater design. As we embrace the power of change, we can create ripples that expand and inspire those around us, ultimately transforming the world in ways we could never imagine with our limited perception of the world around us.

Now, if you’ve made it this far, I have a challenge for you: Can we, as a collective, reach 100 likes or 100 shares on this blog post? Think of it as our own little 100th monkey experiment. Together, we can prove that we’re capable of inspiring change and growth, even in the smallest of ways. So, go ahead and hit that clap button, share with all of your friends and family, and while you’re at it, subscribe, follow, and leave a comment to share your thoughts on the 100th Monkey Effect. Let’s see if we can reach that magical number of 100 likes or 100 shares and make a small yet meaningful impact together.

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THE HUNDREDTH MONKEY

THE HUNDREDTH MONKEY -->

Culture & sustainment, special topics.

In 1952, something happened to the macaque monkeys on the remote island of Koshima that has very much to do with your implementation of visuality and your march toward achieving a visual workplace.

Like most wild creatures, the macaques spend much of their time gathering food. Collecting food and feeding behaviors are passed on, by example , from mother to young.

A group of scientists was researching macaque feeding behaviors. As part of their experiment, they set stacks of raw sweet potatoes in selected spots on the beaches of Koshima. Quite naturally, the potatoes were quickly covered with sand, presenting the monkeys with a dilemma: Every time they took a bite of these delicious new treats, they also got a bite of sand and grit.

One day an eighteen-month-old female monkey carried a sand-covered sweet potato to a stream and solved the problem of the grit by washing it off before putting it into her mouth. She then taught this new procedure to her mother and to her playmates. The behavior began to spread. Slowly over the next six years—in full view of the team of scientists who set up the experiment (and without their interference)—monkeys on Koshima learned the procedure and taught it to others in the troop: Wash the sand off before eating sandy food.

But things were just heating up. Something really extraordinary was about to happen, something that no one had ever before observed. Though the exact details remain sketchy because the scientific constructs of the time were not designed to anticipate and therefore describe them, the following was observed to have happened.

By the fall of 1958, many of monkeys on Koshima had already adopted the new washing behavior. An exact number is not specified so let’s take our cue from scientist Lyall Watson and set that number at ninety-nine. Ninety-nine monkeys were now washing the sand off food before eating it. Then one more monkey began to do it—the hundredth monkey. And the inexplicable happened: The behavior jumped.

Suddenly and mysteriously, macaque monkeys on a nearby island began to wash the sand off food before eating it. The behavior kept jumping. It jumped to the islands surrounding Koshima; and then it jumped to mainland Japan, hundreds of miles away. The macaque monkeys there began to do the same thing—to wash the sand off food before eating it.

A critical mass was reached when the hundredth monkey learned the behavior. That was when the understanding jumped on its own. It went into the knowledge grid of the species.

The phenomenon, which is now actually called the Hundredth-Monkey Principle , provides an explanation of how discoveries of all kinds seem to happen nearly simultaneously in distant and unconnected parts of the world. Ask Nobel Prize winners and their also-rans. Scientists and inventors are often accused of stealing the ideas of others. But that is rarely the case. It is instead that there is a grid of thought that connects them— and us—intimately with each other-all the time, anytime.

The Hundredth-Monkey phenomenon can tell us a great deal. For one, it tells us that change is inevitable. It tells us that it is the nature of improvement to jump. It cannot be stopped because it is its nature to spread.

Workplace visuality is a best practice of lean production. It is in the knowledge grid now, ready and available to be harnessed. The pool of understanding is widening even as you read these words. You are adding to the knowledge net of visuality at this very moment simply by considering the approach.

The visual workplace is a crucial component of lean manufacturing, six sigma, and perhaps even more so for traditional manufacturing. The behavior we call visual order is a powerful thought form that is gaining in use. In ten years, that behavior will have jumped—and the visual workplace will be considered fundamental and required, just as waste reduction and flow manufacturing are today. Visual order is not the wave of the future. It is the wave of the now.

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The Curious Case of Hundredth Monkey Effect and How Ideas Actually Seem to Spread

During this weekend series, I’ve primarily stuck to phenomena that have held up to empirical research or at least heavily been supported by clinical practice.

In today’s article, however, I’d like to talk about a completely hypothetical phenomenon called hundredth monkey effect.

The Hundred Monkey Effect #

What is hundredth monkey effect? It’s a hypothetical phenomenon explaining how ideas or behaviors spread from just a few individuals to a much wider population. Hundredth monkey effect basically states that there is a point at which an isolated social phenomenon reaches critical mass and thereby reaches a threshold where it becomes inevitable that it will become incredibly popular.

The idea was first born from a small study in the 50s conducted on Japanese monkeys, in which the behavior of washing sweet potatoes spread unexpectedly among the larger group. This was a completely incidental finding — the study was focused on something else. However, the story about the study and the findings were summarized in the 70s in the introduction to a guide on mysticism (yes, really).

It’s worth noting that in this introduction the scientists in the Japanese monkey study went unnamed. Still, the writer of this introduction claimed that the sweet potato washing had spread to the larger group once it had reached critical mass — a point which he deemed the hundredth monkey.

During the 80s, the term the hundredth monkey was further popularized in a book warning against the dangers of nuclear power by Ken Keyes, Jr., called The Hundredth Monkey . Again the author didn’t provide substantive verification of the original study, nor did he support additional claims he made about the behavior spreading to islands adjacent to where the original study was claimed to have taken place.

Is Hundredth Monkey Effect True? #

So is any of the story true?  _W__as _the hundredth monkey effect found in a study of Japanese monkeys conducted in the 50s?

Yes (some of the story is true) and no (hundredth monkey effect was not found).

There was a study conducted in the 50s by  on monkeys by Japanese researchers in which a lone monkey was first observed to wash her sweet potatoes, and later other monkeys _did _come to do it as well. However, a hundredth monkey effect was not observed. The spread of the behavior did not seem to be related simply to a critical mass or number of monkeys learning the behavior. Instead the following findings were observed:

• Young monkeys taught their peers and their close family members. Those monkeys in turn would also teach the behavior to their own peers and close family members.
• Monkeys who were too advanced in age would not adopt the behavior, regardless of how many peers or contemporaries attempted to teach them.
• Children of monkeys already doing the behavior automatically imitated it and didn’t need to be explicitly taught to do it.
• The initial monkey who washed sweet potatoes experimented with washing wheat. Basically, this one monkey emerged as a repeat innovator.
•  The innovative monkey’s sibling began to experiment in other ways, starting a trend where monkeys who had previously been afraid of getting in the water were now splashing and playing in the ocean (the process of washing the wheat required them to get partly wet and seems to have spurred on this phenomenon).

In any event, social relationships between members seemed key as did the age of the monkeys (very much keeping with the adage “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks”).

There did not seem to be a special mathematical ratio responsible for the proliferation of the behavior.

Enough with Monkeys, How About Humans? #

I’m not convinced that all of this study easily applies to human interactions. Most glaringly, while personality does tend to firm up at a few key points in human development (by statistical average, there are big solidification points at 30 and 50, according to developmental personality research , having do with frontal lobe development and cognitive changes due to aging), making a person’s overall behaviors more ingrained, there doesn’t seem to be a firm cut-off point where older adults simply will not learn anything new.

However, the rest of it does ring true when looking at the way that information and ideas tend to spread through online social networks. You do see people’s proximity to others dictating a lot of what they know, believe, and do.

This post is part of an ongoing Poly Land feature called Psyched for the Weekend , in which I geek out with brief takes about some of my favorite psychological studies and concepts. For the entire series, please see this link .

Barcelona Metropolis

N 131 - Jul 24 | The metamorphosis of work

The hundredth monkey effect.

Víctor García Tur (Barcelona, 1981) has a degree in Ophthalmology. 

© Ana Yael Zareceansky

Similar: we see the little hands and little fingers (oh, the defining opposable thumb) and they seem so human. Then we look them in the eyes and the familiarity is complete. When we look at our cousins, any member of the order of primates, the lightning in the depths of their eyes is the best indication of an intelligence similar to our own and an indisputable closeness. When we study their day to day life, in the cleared forests of Borneo or on the disputed banks of the Congo, it is inevitable that we see our reflection in each of their gestures.

The day that the hundredth monkey washed an apple before putting it in its belly, a strange phenomenon was observed throughout the region: everywhere the monkeys washed their fruit before eating it.

However, simians (and even prosimians) exhibit behaviours that continue to surprise us.

A famous example occurred on Koshima Island, where in 1958 a group of scientists had the privilege of observing a revealing phenomenon in a colony of Japanese macaques ( Macaca fuscata ). Science historian Aristides Acheropoulos explains it with the air of the fabulous that imposes wonder on everything: “Some time ago, in a small village in Japan, there was a monkey that we will call Azamuku. The rudimentary monkeys of that time used to gobble up the apples that they gathered from the ground of the parks in the area. These apples were muddy, dusty and often decayed. One day, Azamuku approached a pond with carps that was supposed to brighten up a town hall garden, washed the apple in the water, and then, of course, ate it with delight. From then on, he washed his apples before sinking his teeth into them. The practice spread from Azamuku to a second monkey, then to a third, then to a fourth, and so on, as it seems. A sizeable group of monkeys in the area began to clean their fruit. What is interesting is that after a while, neighbouring monkeys from other municipalities began to prefer clean apples and used the method innovated by Azamuku. The day that the hundredth monkey washed an apple before putting it in its belly, a strange phenomenon was observed throughout the region: everywhere the monkeys washed their fruit before eating it. On Koshima Island, we could say, the critical mass was 100. Once this critical mass was reached, the information spread with the exponential speed of a flu pandemic.”

Undoubtedly, this Azamuku was a Newton among the macaques. He was capable of thinking beyond the mental bounds of his species. Now it is not so clear whether the knowledge was spread by the simple impetus to imitate (of which primates know a lot) or if there was some type of telepathic connection (“morphogenetic fields”, Sheldrake might say) enabling a species to share useful information, overcoming the barriers of time and space... Naturally this led to fierce controversy among scientists. This article does not aim to shed light on these murky motives, but only to ask about something experienced in Barcelona recently that has triggered a very interesting discussion since it was covered by the media, which none of our fellow residents have been able to avoid either at work, with their family or when queueing at the supermarket. Social networks were full of them and some jokes were made that distorted real and established facts, but the background is the same and what is extraordinary about it continues to astonish us.

The now-famous monkey Brigitte, needless to say, held a disposable coffee cup in her hands. The photos taken later show us the delightful way that the monkey’s thumb holds down the plastic lid (high density polyethylene) while she cradles the burning cup (cardboard) with her index finger.

The first warning about the phenomenon was raised by a worker at the Barcelona Zoo, Margarita Rius. On Saturday, 9 February, Rius uploaded a photo to her Twitter account that was massively shared, commented on and commented on again. Quoted by the newspaper La Vanguardia, Rius said: “Like every Saturday, I went to do my work in the primate area. I admit that I was a little sleepy because of a party I had been to the night before [...]. I decided to wash my face in one of the fountains we have for visitors. I took off my glasses. I still had not wiped my face when I saw it. In case it was just me being myopic, I put my glasses on in a hurry. Brigitte [referring to one of the red monkeys ( Erythrocebus patas ) of the colony living in the zoo] walked alone all the way to the glass of the window. In her hand she held a strange object. I didn’t understand exactly what was happening, so I couldn’t predict what impact it would have, but something inside told me to capture the scene with my mobile phone. Unconsciously, I must have grasped the awesome importance of the moment, because not only did I take the picture, but I posted it immediately. I did feel proud that I was the first to tell people about it.”

                The now-famous monkey Brigitte, needless to say, was holding a disposable coffee cup in her hand. The photos taken later show us the delightful way that the monkey’s thumb held down the plastic lid (high density polyethylene) while she cradled the burning cup (cardboard) with her index finger. The videos go even further, showing Brigitte taking little sips as she continued to move about, from here to there, up and down, restlessly. At first she was alone and derided by everyone, but after a few days she found a worthy companion for her coffee trips in Koeman (a young specimen with prodigious thighs). In less than a week, half a dozen Erythrocebus walked around the little cup rigorously, alone or in pairs, happy or anxious in their unfathomable (for us) thoughts. Once the coffee was finished, the monkeys tossed the container indifferently into the safety hole surrounding them, a spectacle that amused the crowd, attracted to the zoo by the news and the pleasure of photographing them and being a part of history. Unaware of the people’s curiosity, the monkeys gradually and unstoppably copied the example. Copèrnic, the alpha male, was one of the last to join the trend, but in the end every member of the troop had converted.

In any case, the innovation of the misnomered “coffee to go” has disconcerted the troop, its uses and hierarchies. In fact, Copèrnic has been dethroned. Koeman has risen before him and won the favour of the females and immature males. Meanwhile, Copèrnic continues to stroll with the coffee cup in his hand, unable to avoid a certain expression of opposition that suggests a lack of adaptation. A little empathy leads us to see that Copèrnic’s dissatisfaction is caused by his feelings of embarrassment and the tension of wanting to hide them.

Recommended publications

Related subjects Culture and leisure Ecology and environment Víctor García Tur Writer Víctor García Tur (Barcelona, 1981) has a degree in Ophthalmology.  From the issue

N 111 - Apr 19 Index

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An Agent for Consciousness Evolution

The ‘Human’ Hundredth Monkey Effect Explained | Critical Mass, The Shift And What It Could Look Like

Tuesday, October 20, 2015 By Justin Deschamps 5 Comments

by  Justin Deschamps

The 100th Monkey Effect is probably one of the most cited phenomenons in the awakening community, yet it is also greatly misunderstood.

Many contend that this effect is proof positive of an instantaneous and automatic ascension or awakening of all people will take place in the near future. A type of ‘tsunami’ of awakening will sweep the planet, forcing everyone to be more loving, honest and fair. But is this really true?

Related  Science Suggests Love and Receptiveness to Truth Enhance Psi Abilities — Telepathy Can be Explained by Interacting Coherent Electromagnetic Fields

The 100th Monkey Effect

As the below article details, the 100th monkey effect is an accidental discovery by a team of researchers in the mid 1960’s. The team was studying the Japanese Macaca monkey that was provided sweet potatoes from the team that they enjoyed eating. 

Here is an excerpt from the accounting below:

“In 1952, on the island of Koshima, scientists were providing monkeys with sweet potatoes dropped in the sand. The monkeys liked the taste of the raw sweet potatoes, but they found the dirt unpleasant. “An 18-month-old female named Imo found she could solve the problem by washing the potatoes in a nearby stream. She taught this trick to her mother. Her playmates also learned this new way and they taught their mothers too. “This cultural innovation was gradually picked up by various monkeys before the eyes of the scientists. “Between 1952 and 1958 all the young monkeys learned to wash the sandy sweet potatoes to make them more palatable. “ Only the adults who imitated their children learned this social improvement . Other adults kept eating the dirty sweet potatoes. “Then something startling took place. In the autumn of 1958, a certain number of Koshima monkeys were washing sweet potatoes — the exact number is not known. “Let us suppose that when the sun rose one morning there were 99 monkeys on Koshima Island who had learned to wash their sweet potatoes. “Let’s further suppose that later that morning, the hundredth monkey learned to wash potatoes. “Then it happened! “By that evening almost everyone in the tribe was washing sweet potatoes before eating them. “The added energy of this hundredth monkey somehow created an ideological breakthrough! “But notice. “A most surprising thing observed by these scientists was that the habit of washing sweet potatoes  then jumped over the sea  – “Colonies of monkeys on other islands and the mainland troop of monkeys at Takasakiyama began washing their sweet potatoes.

And here is the most revealing passage: 

“The new behavior pattern spread to most,  but not all , of the monkeys. Older monkeys, in particular, remained steadfast in their established behavior patterns and resisted change . When the new behavior pattern suddenly appeared among monkey troupes on other islands, only a few monkeys on those islands picked up on the new idea . The ones most receptive to new ideas started imitating the new behavior and demonstrating it to the impressionable younger ones. Thus, they too began their own path towards their eventual hundredth monkey effect .”

First the effect was not a complete and total paradigm shift within the monkey population. At best, all that occurred was a transition of awareness; the newer monkeys learned about the washing method, but did not  automatically begin washing the potatoes.

Second, the transmission occurred after a sufficient number of monkeys in the host population expressed the washing behavior. It was then that “only a few monkeys on those [new] islands” began washing the potatoes. In other words, it wasn’t enough to simply be aware of this new way, it had to be accepted and expressed in order to ‘build up’ in the host population, which eventually experienced a pandemic awareness of the better way. 

Finally, the newly affected monkeys on the surrounding islands “began their own path towards their eventual hundredth monkey effect,” in other words, that the affected population had a time delay between transmission and the majority of monkeys displaying the washing behavior.

All of these points suggest an entrainment or synchronization process, which is a property of waveforms or systems of frequency. The mind and consciousness have long been associated to frequency and rhythmic patterns, and this transmission  effect perfectly matches what can be observed in other phenomenon, such as synchronizing metronomes.

Related  Entrainment, Communication, Information and Evolution

When two systems of motion come in contact with each other, such that information from one can be transmitted to the other, a slow and steady process of entrainment takes place. Eventually the two different systems synchronize to the point that the motion of one is reflective of the other. One of the better examples of this universal information transmission via frequency and resonance is metronomes.

Synchronizing Metronomes

Synchronization occurs in a four-step process and is symbolic of how the same process occurs within the mind. 

• Step 1:  Initially, the metronomes are ticking at unique rhythms, unable to be transmitted to the others because no medium or channel is available to provide for the mechanical energy to flow. The swinging of each metronome arm moves from side to side, and is it does so, kinetic energy in the arm pushes against the base of the metronome. But because the devices are on an immoveable surface, this energy cannot be sent to their neighbors and it is absorbed by the table; no transmission can take place.
• Step 2: The metronomes are placed on a board and moved on top of two cans. Now the motion of the arms has a pathway to travel to the other metronomes, which pushes against the base through the board and on to the other devices. The moment that they are placed together a new system is created with an ideal resonant frequency. This frequency will push against out of step motion and push with instep motion, which slowly alters the behavior of each individual device to match the larger board and metronome system; transmission is beginning to occur.
• Step 3: The resonant frequency of the board metronome system is initially at a low intensity or ‘volume’, but as each metronome’s behavior is adjusted, they begin to tick in harmony. Eventually the intensity of the resonant frequency overtakes the frequencies of the individual metronomes. At this point the near instant synchronization begins to takes place; transmission is rapidly accelerating. 
• Step 4: The resonant frequency of the board metronome system is now dominant, exponentially working against out of step movements of the individual devices. The inertia of the initial frequencies of each metronome becomes less and less strong, until the whole system dramatically shifts into a synchronized state over a few seconds of time; transmission is fully complete. 

Analysis and Integration with the 100th Monkey Effect

In the above example, metronomes were only able to synchronize under certain conditions. A metronome placed on a table that is too rigid, won’t allow for the unique frequency to be transmitted and harmonized with the group. This aspect represents free will, that a metronome can only be changed if it is open  to the others. Finally the process took time, it wasn’t until the resonant frequency of the metronome board system reached a strong enough intensity that the ‘quantum leap’ process started. 

Similarly, the same type of shift occurred in the Monkeys. For example, the subjects that were the most receptive to the washing behavior were the young monkeys, those able to recognize the advantage of doing so, and that were open minded enough to try the new way. The older monkeys that were more stubborn never learned to wash the potatoes at all. The key principle here is free will, the monkeys were not forced to change but instead had a choice. Finally the process took time, marked by definitive and recognizable hallmarks of progress. Once enough monkey’s made the choice to wash the potatoes, an ‘overnight’ shift took place, and almost  all of the monkeys took up the new behavior. 

Human ‘100th Monkey Effect’

How does this translate to human consciousness and the infamous paradigm shift spoken of in various circles?

Firstly, the key reason why the metronomes synchronized was because the resonant frequency was ‘better’ then the individual ones. Similarly, the washing behavior was ‘better’ then not washing them. This means that there was a real and bonafide objective improvement that was overriding the older behavior. For the human consciousness shift this translates as truth and practicality, that finding the truth and sharing it with others isn’t just a nice thing to do  but it literally improves the quality of life of individuals and groups objectively. This is an essential aspect to consider because the shift in consciousness is objective and practical while also being ideal and subjective. It is a personal choice as well as a scientific process of discovering and finding the better  way. 

As each individual on the planet discovers the truth and understands it personally, they alter their behavior accordingly so as to embody the wisdom gained. For example, cutting wood with a small axe is less effective than using a large one, and in most cases a person would rather be more efficient then not. Therefore the shift in consciousness is not just a more positive way, it is literally a better way, the marriage of idealism and pragmatism. 

Second, this better way can not  be forced on to others, free will and the ability to choose is still in effect. This means that as the consciousness shift progresses forward, on average people will most likely embody these more accurate truths and change accordingly; but not everyone. 

That being said, the nature of our social fabric is such that many people find value in what the collective is doing. In this sense, when a majority of humanity embodies this newer way it will naturally become more appealing to the minority; but free will choice of each individual is still the determining factor. Additionally, each person is on his or her own unique path towards discovering this better way, and while from our point of view it may seem as if others aren’t  evolving fast enough  they are still making progress. Even people who reject all forms of truth and hold on to the past are part of the shift taking place, their stubbornness in and of itself is an indication that the newer way is gaining strength and as such it requires more energy to deny. Compassion in these instances is far more helpful then peer pressure. 

Finally, not everyone will shift. This is an idea that makes most people uncomfortable, as if some are being left behind . But in truth, since the whole process is founded on free will choice, is this not more honorable? If an individual denies the objective truth of the better ways, then that is their choice and the universe will not force it on to them, but they will continue to labor under the errors of their own making. This is just like the older monkeys chose not to wash the potatoes and suffered the displeasure of eating dirt as a result. 

It is these contrasting experiences that help us open our minds to newer ways of being. As such we need not become frustrated at the close-mindedness of others because this is actually an indication they have received the transmission, but simply chose to reject it; a choice we would do well to honor so long as it does not harm others. 

At this stage not enough data is available to make any kind of prediction as to how many people will shift. But since the shift is ultimately a personal choice based on knowledge and awareness, we can assist others in their path by sharing what we have come to understand as individuals. This means that the simple act of kindly sharing our truths is the single most important factor to the human 100th monkey effect. 

Related  Paths to Awakening: Spiritual Activism or Disempowerment | Understanding the Spiritual Causes of Depression

It may be difficult to see the shift occurring, but it undoubtedly is and we need only stay the course of seeking the truth, understanding it and sharing it with others to ensure things progress forward. They may not want to hear it at first, they might fight us and call us crazy, but all these things and more are indications the transmission has been received; we need only honor their choice while taking measures to ensure it does not harm another in the process.

It is my hope that these deep principles of free will and information transmission are understood so as to provide the surety in knowing our work is having an impact. 

The preceding article is a  Stillness in the Storm original  creation. Please share widely. 

Source – Ascension With Mother Earth

by Owen Waters

The Shift is the awakening of humanity’s heart. This transformation of consciousness, the greatest one ever recorded, first became apparent in the mid-1960s and has been building momentum ever since.

The Shift is a collective transformation consisting of the sum of each individual’s step into the New Reality. Each person, in their own time, is moving forward into a stage of consciousness which brings a wider vista and an awareness which springs from the heart. When enough people’s primary attention becomes focused through their heart chakras, then the ‘hundredth monkey effect’ will occur. The Hundredth Monkey Effect was first introduced by biologist Lyall Watson in his 1980 book, ‘ Lifetide .’ He reported that Japanese primatologists, who were studying Macaques monkeys in the wild in the 1950s, had stumbled upon a surprising phenomenon.

His book was soon followed up with a deeply inspired work by Ken Keyes in 1981, called “The Hundredth Monkey Effect.” In this, Ken Keyes made an impassioned appeal for an end to the Cold War and its policy of mutually assured destruction. Here, in the words of Ken Keyes, is a description of the key elements of the Hundredth Monkey Effect:

“The Japanese monkey, Macaca fuscata, had been observed in the wild for a period of over 30 years.

“This cultural innovation was gradually picked up by various monkeys before the eyes of the scientists.

“Between 1952 and 1958 all the young monkeys learned to wash the sandy sweet potatoes to make them more palatable.

“Only the adults who imitated their children learned this social improvement. Other adults kept eating the dirty sweet potatoes.

“Then something startling took place. In the autumn of 1958, a certain number of Koshima monkeys were washing sweet potatoes — the exact number is not known.

“Let us suppose that when the sun rose one morning there were 99 monkeys on Koshima Island who had learned to wash their sweet potatoes.

“Let’s further suppose that later that morning, the hundredth monkey learned to wash potatoes.

“Then it happened!

“By that evening almost everyone in the tribe was washing sweet potatoes before eating them.

“The added energy of this hundredth monkey somehow created an ideological breakthrough!

“A most surprising thing observed by these scientists was that the habit of washing sweet potatoes then jumped over the sea –

“Colonies of monkeys on other islands and the mainland troop of monkeys at Takasakiyama began washing their sweet potatoes.

“Thus, when a certain critical number achieves an awareness, this new awareness may be communicated from mind to mind.

“Although the exact number may vary, this Hundredth Monkey Phenomenon means that when only a limited number of people know of a new way, it may remain the conscious property of these people.

Lyall Watson had originally researched and assembled the story from the available testimonies of the primate researchers. Because the phenomenon took the researchers so much by surprise, they had not counted how many monkeys it took to trigger this effect. So, Watson proposed an arbitrary figure of ninety-nine monkeys, and said that one more, the so-called one-hundredth monkey, would then provide the critical mass of consciousness necessary to trigger the effect.

The new behavior pattern spread to most, but not all , of the monkeys. Older monkeys, in particular, remained steadfast in their established behavior patterns and resisted change. When the new behavior pattern suddenly appeared among monkey troupes on other islands, only a few monkeys on those islands picked up on the new idea. The ones most receptive to new ideas started imitating the new behavior and demonstrating it to the impressionable younger ones. Thus, they too began their own path towards their eventual hundredth monkey effect. How the Hundredth Monkey Effect Works

The mechanism for this transference of ideas works the same way for monkeys as it does for all sentient beings. We exist within an atmosphere of global mind. The human brain is constantly receiving and transmitting mental pictures and information to and from that mental atmosphere in which we are immersed.

The global mind, otherwise known as Jung’s collective unconscious, does not cease to function because a few skeptics don’t like its effects. It functions just like it always has, passing information from one individual to another based upon their common frequency of consciousness . If progressive monkeys had a new idea, then so did other progressive monkeys on other islands. They resonated at the same frequency of consciousness.

Inventions often occur at the same time by inventors who are not in physical contact with each other. For example, in 1941, Les Paul designed and built the first solid-body electric guitar just when Leo Fender of Fender Musical Instruments was doing exactly the same thing.

Have you ever had an idea, then seen other people express or use that idea. You probably said, “Hey! I thought of that first!” Well, that’s the way the global mind works. It’s an atmosphere that you share with all other sentient beings, but you tune in especially to the particular topics and frequencies of mind that interest you the most.

What This means to The Shift

When enough people have gone through their personal version of The Shift to the new consciousness, then a critical mass will form and suddenly everyone will become aware of the New Reality and its heart-centered values. [The author said aware, not that they will shift automatically.]

That is the day when heart-centered values will become the focus of everyday thinking for the vast majority of people. That is the day when humanity will begin to look back on what has changed and realize that a massive shift has occurred.

About the author: Owen Waters is an inspirational writer whose profound insights have helped millions of people to grow spiritually. His articles on spiritual metaphysics display a rare clarity of understanding and provide an inspiring vision of the emerging New Reality. The National Indie Excellence Book Awards has selected his book, Spirituality Made Simple , for its 2011 Spirituality category. His books and free newsletter at InfiniteBeing.com help people learn how to gain enlightenment and become active in raising the consciousness of the planet.

Owen is also the author of “ The Shift: The Revolution in Human Consciousness “ and the Infinite Being Insight E-Books.

http://galacticconnection.com/critical-mass-the-shift-and-the-hundredth-monkey-effect/#sthash.rFNYQOa7.dpbs

http://www.ascensionwithearth.com/2015/07/critical-mass-shift-and-hundredth.html

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Reader Interactions

Saturday, October 2, 2021 at 12:55

Works in Reverse , too . …….Hitler , Stalin , Mao took away ‘free choice’ and world descended via ‘hundreth tyrant effect’ ………..real Question is – – what Source do we beseech for strength to overcome negative Tyrants ? for in truth they are stronger than well-intentioned individuals …and… we need a Benevolent outside Source to carry the day for us , n’est-ce pas ? ………. ………shalom,a.j.

Tuesday, January 18, 2022 at 02:56

Hi Justin, was thinking about doing a post on the 100th monkey effect last night and viola, the metronomes are synchronized he he; keep up the great educational work; bt

Tuesday, January 18, 2022 at 19:23

Thanks, Brother Thomas. Our minds are more in touch than we’ve been led to believe.

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The Hundredth Monkey Effect

How The Hundredth Monkey Effect Really Works

The hundredth monkey effect stemmed from a story about a group of primatologists who were studying Macaque monkeys. The scientists were giving the monkeys sweet potatoes dropped in sand. The monkeys didn’t like the sand so one monkey decided to wash the sweet potato in the stream. This technique spread to most other monkeys in the span of 6 years (around 99). When the 100 th monkey learned to wash the sweet potato, it was then that all the monkeys in the tribe started to wash their sweet potatoes. This technique even spread to monkeys on the other island.

In class, we learned about information cascades, and how there will be a certain threshold value in order to have a full cascade. In this experiment, we can see that the 100 th monkey caused the threshold to be overcome and the whole island adopted this technique. Even monkeys on the other island learned this technique too. Although there is a scientific explanation of this involving mental connections, it is also important to see how the network of the monkeys caused everyone in the island to adopt it. It is like each island is a cluster. It’s fascinating how this concept can apply to animals as well.

November 19, 2018 | category: Uncategorized

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