Monogamy Helps Geese Relax

Despite their total inability to resist the temptations brought on by bread, geese are pretty steadfast in their relationship commitments.

With a rising divorce rate and repeated warnings about the erosion of the family unit as we know it, it’s nice to learn that we can at least still count on geese to stick with traditional values. A new Austrian study published in Biology Letters has found that greylag geese who stay monogamous experience a reduction in stress when their partners are nearby. During fights, “married” male geese had lower heart rates than their bachelor counterparts, and, at rest, females' heart rates were higher when their partners were away. Same-sex pairs also experienced similar reductions in stress at times of battle. Earlier studies have suggested that greylag geese often share their entire 20-year lifespans with a single partner, and that widowed geese experience physiological problems somewhat akin to depression in humans. As the old adage goes, what’s good for the goose is good for its partner’s cardiac well-being.