Rhesus monkey sociality is stable across time and linked to variation in the initiation but not receipt of prosocial behavior

Abstract Rhesus monkeys and humans are highly social primates, yet both species exhibit pronounced variation in social functioning, spanning a spectrum of sociality. Naturally occurring low sociality in rhesus monkeys may be a promising construct by which to model social impairments relevant to human autism spectrum disorder (ASD), particularly if low sociality is found to be stable across time and associated with diminished social motivation. Thus, to better characterize variation in sociality and social communication profiles, we performed quantitative social behavior assessments on N = 95 male rhesus macaques ( Macaca mulatta ) housed in large, outdoor groups. In Study 1, we determined the social classification of our subjects by rank‐ordering their total frequency of nonsocial behavior. Monkeys with the greatest frequency of nonsocial behavior were classified as low‐social ( n = 20) and monkeys with the lowest frequency of nonsocial behavior were classified as high‐social ( n = 21). To assess group differences in social communication profiles, in Study 2, we quantified the rates of transient social communication signals, and whether these social signals were initiated by or directed towards the focal subject. Finally, in Study 3, we assessed the within‐individual stability of sociality in a subset of monkeys ( n = 11 low‐social, n = 11 high‐social) two years following our initial observations. Nonsocial behavior frequency significantly correlated across the two timepoints (Studies 1 and 3). Likewise, low‐social versus high‐social classification accurately predicted classification two years later. Low‐social monkeys initiated less prosocial behavior than high‐social monkeys, but groups did not differ in receipt of prosocial behavior, nor did they differ in threat behavior. These findings indicate that sociality is a stable, trait‐like characteristic and that low sociality is linked to diminished initiation of prosocial behavior in rhesus macaques. This evidence also suggests that low sociality may be a useful construct for gaining mechanistic insight into the social motivational deficits often observed in people with ASD.