Studied by 88 Peopleancestral benefits of cooperation:
Tags & Description
ancestral benefits of cooperation:
• Communal offspring care • Reduced risk of predation & natural hazards • ‘insurance’ against injury • Cooperative hunting & resource sharing • Defense (or offense) of resources or territory
Reciprocal altruism
cooperative and prosocial behavior in non-kin, contingent on reciprocity
Indirect reciprocity
helping others (cooperating) brings long-term benefits from third parties (‘paying it forward’)
Costly signaling
large displays of generosity or prosocial behavior signal value as an ally
Prisoner’s dilemma
how do people achieve cooperation and avoid temptation
2 keys to prisoner's dilemma
Iterating the dilemma multiple times
The use of tit-for-tat- reciprocity
For cooperation and altruism to work…
People need to identify when theyre being cheated
Avoid cheaters
Detecting deception
• people are not very good a consciously detecting deception (our bodies are better) o heightened arousal, threat response o this is how polygraphs work
Free riding
taking benefits from group without giving anything back
Abdication
giving away the choice
advantages of abdication:
• Makes you look generous, and the other person feel gratitude • Typically, the person will give you the better reward
Emotions that facilitate cooperation:
anger, shame, gratitude
anger
facilitates desire for punishment
shame
when people violate an accepted social rule (cheating)
groups with lots of altruists would...
cooperate very well
groups without altruists would...
go extinct
Problem with group selection:
• Free riders and cheaters undermine the benefits of altruism • Group selection gets overwhelmed by individual selection
Sociometer theory
Self-esteem reflects perceived level of social acceptance
Social reconnection hypothesis
Social exclusion motivates people to form and solidify social connections (satisfy the need to belong) EX: frisbee video
Social monitoring theory
when people are worried about being rejected, they monitor the social environment very closely
The role of social anxiety:
• Effects of exclusion on social reconnection are reduced by social anxiety • Effects hinge on perceived possibilities for reconnection • Social anxiety blocks those perceptions
Highly anxious people DID NOT....
increase perceptions of sociability
Functions of violence
• Co-opt others’ resources • Defend against attack • Deter future aggression • Negotiate hierarchies • Deter mates from cheating
Men judge their own and others’ fighting abilities ...
more frequently than women
Sexual dimorphism is considered what kind of agression?
physical aggression
indirect aggression is most common in...
women
women tend to use what kind of aggression?
derogation
Young Male Syndrome
• Aggression • Risk-taking • Competitiveness
those who engage in warfare have...
4x as many wives & more affairs
Raids:
when male war parties go out and launch a sneak attack on several males from rival coalition
raids happen because of...
• Failed agreement • Suspicions of adultery
is social hierarchy universal across species and cultures?
Yes, (chicken example)
Dominance
use of formal authority, fear, coercion, and power
Prestige
being a role model, wielding admiration and respect (based on knowledge and expertise)
noble savage hypothesis
NOT TRUE; society makes us less violent, people are inherently violent.
male warrior hypothesis
the presence of warfare increases cooperation between men
cons of dominance:
selfishness, narcissism, thirst for power, prioritize their own capacity for power over the group, engage in malicious envy
dominance across species:
biggest, strongest, and most willing to act aggressively rises in social rank
dominance across humans:
use of power, resources (money), formal authority
social rank in ancestral groups is based primarily on...
prestige (egalitarian)
cons of prestige:
o desire for approval & sensitivity to possible rejection o behaviors aimed at protecting social approval
pros of prestige:
works well for creative tasks provides team members with voice and autonomy
pros of dominance:
o Works well for task that require coordination/cooperation o Potential for punishment discourages selfishness o Preferred during intergroup conflict
is dominance universal?
Yes, from crickets to chimpanzees
Challenge hypothesis:
male T increases during mating season
during intrasexual competition
T increases aggression and confidence (shows women they're a good mate)
Social ranking matters for everyone, but more for men.. . why?
Women prefer high social status in potential partners
Pride:
emotion experienced after gain in social rank
Envy:
experienced by people relatively low in social rank
Schadenfreude:
experiencing pleasure in another’s misfortune
Authentic pride-
o Based on genuine accomplishment o Confidence and high-self esteem
Hubristic pride-
o Arrogance, Narcissism, entitlement, sense of superiority
Benign envy-
o Desire to emulate role model o Positively motivating--> raise your social rank
Malicious envy-
o Desire to bring down high status person o Negatively motivating reducing other people’s social rank
how does an evolutionary perspective affect the way we think about mental disorders?
Understanding the ultimate causes behind psychological disorders (based in evolved mechanisms)
Darwinian Medicine:
Application of evolutionary principles to issues of health & disease
darwinian medicine led to new insights about...
• Infectious diseases • Cancers • Autoimmune diseases
Organizational behavior-
how people work in groups and teams to conduct business • leverages the psychology of social hierarchy, leadership, cooperation
Business leadership-
• traditional approach: top-down, ‘command and control’ • newer approach: team-based
Business teams-
• cooperation in teams essential for success • relies on psychology of reciprocal altruism (tit-for-tat)
Negotiating-
• making joint decisions to divide resources
Advertising & consumer behavior
• marketing products requires understanding the motives of the consumer • influence heuristics
social proof
if others are doing it, it must be good
scarcity
if something is rare, it must be good
during ovulation women purchase more sexy clothing because...
SEX SELLS
fundamental motives that drive people:
sex, social status, self-protection
example of good marketing:
using fear to stop people from smoking
marketing:
leveraging people’s evolved motives to sell products