A new study led by the Konrad Lorenz Research Center for Behavior and Cognition at the University of Vienna sheds light on a long-standing mystery in animal behavior: Why do certain individuals gain more influence than others within a group? The research shows that bold geese—but not aggressive ones—are more likely to be accepted as leaders, while exploratory individuals tend to follow them—revealing a nuanced interplay of personality and social roles in collective movement decisions. The results of the study have just been published in the journal iScience.
What geese can teach us about leaders and followers
