Do animals experience pride, shame, guilt or disgust, just like us humans? Do they have a sense of justice and gratitude? Can dogs laugh and mourn, can elephants comfort each other, and monkeys be jealous, intrigue and plan revenge? Do fish feel pain and can birds love? What do the behavior of alpha male chimpanzees and modern politicians have in common? In this kind and smart book, in addition to the touching story of a chimpanzee named Mama, the famous primatologist Frans de Waal talks about his numerous observations and experiments studying the emotions of a wide variety of animals. Along with anger and hatred, which even lead to the deliberate killing of their own kind, animals display an amazing ability for compassion, reconciliation and forgiveness. They, like us, are capable of empathy, mutual assistance and close social interaction. The author considers human feelings in an evolutionary context as a direct continuation of the emotions of animals and calls for awareness of our inextricable connection with all creatures on the planet and, ultimately, to better understand ourselves. p>