What Capuchin Monkeys Can Tell Us About The Great Resignation?
Lessons from Capuchin monkeys on Unequal Pay
Adam Smith famous Scottish economist and philosopher who is considered a pioneer of political economy famously stated that
“A man must always live by his work, and his wages must be at least sufficient to maintain him,” and, “When the regulation, therefore, is in favor of the workmen, it is always just and equitable”
About the experiment
The experiment setup involved two monkeys who have lived together and known each other locked inside a cage. The researcher rewards both monkeys with a slice of cucumber for every stone returned by them.
Initially, it was found that a monkey would happily hand over the stone for a cucumber slice. But this changed when the experimenters changed the reward for the second monkey from Cucumber to Grapes.
As soon as the first monkey saw this change he expected his reward to change as well. On not receiving the Grape as his reward, he was quick to throw the Cucumber slice right at the experimenter.
