XI'AN — An intriguing animal study has shown that both male and female mice prefer befriending females under normal conditions, but both prefer male companionship when their survival is threatened.

Social activity is crucial for the survival and reproduction of both animals and humans. However, it was unclear how social decisions were influenced by both internal drives and external environmental contexts.

Researchers from Xi'an Jiaotong University in Shaanxi province found that both male and non-estrus female mice exhibited a preference for female social interactions under normal physiological conditions.

However, when faced with survival threats, their preference shifted toward interacting with males, according to a study published on Friday in the journal Science.

Researchers used fox urine and minor shock stimulation to simulate conditions of fear, both of which led to such a shift in social preference.

These findings offer a clearer picture of the underlying biology of socio-sexual preferences, which are believed to be essential for successful reproduction, but also play a significant role in protective and supportive behaviors that are vital for health and survival among mammals.

It also indicates an integrated encoding of social decisions based on both innate requirements and external environmental factors, said Wei Anqi, co-first author of the paper, from Xi'an Jiaotong University.

This work sheds new light on the development of gender-specific treatments or therapies for psychiatric disorders that exhibit sexual dimorphisms in terms of susceptibility, said Wang Changhe, the paper's corresponding author, also from Xi'an Jiaotong University.

Xinhua