Emory University primatologist and 2011 TEDxPeacthree speaker Frans de Waal recently spoke with the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Vancouver, Canada, about the impact of societal inequity on primates.

MSNBC science writer Alan Boyle covered his speech and used a similar 2011 speech on YouTube at TEDxPeachtree in his entry.

“The role of inequity in society is grossly underestimated,” de Waal said earlier this week. “Inequity is not good for your health, basically.”

One of the classic studies involves capuchin monkeys who were given treats when they exchanged tokens with their human handlers. Two types of treats were offered: cucumber slices (meh…) and grapes (yum!). If one monkey saw that another monkey was consistently getting grapes while she was getting only cucumber slices, she’d quickly start protesting — by flinging the cucumber back at the handler and angrily jumping onto the cage walls.

“This is basically the Wall Street protest right here,” de Waal said.

The story posted yesterday on MSNBC.