A defining aspect of our species' success is our unusually high levels of cooperation. In particular, our ability to cooperate with others who are not related to us.The scale of cooperation among humans is rare in the animal kingdom, and is strongly at odds with our closest primate relatives. Presented with this puzzle, scientists are …
Continue reading Competition can encourage prosocial behaviour to spread
From an evolutionary perspective, the existence of personality differences presents a puzzle. Natural selection tends to weed out variation that deviates from optimal adaptations. Therefore, how are personality differences maintained in local environments? In September's edition of Evolution & Human Behavior, psychologist Reinout E. de Vries and his colleagues present a general framework which addresses this puzzle. In the process, …
Continue reading The HEXACO Model of Personality from an Evolutionary Perspective
One of the defining features of human psychology is our extraordinary prosociality. How can cooperation and prosocial behaviour be maintained, despite the immediate temptations to free-ride and deflect? In a paper published in the September edition of the journal Evolution & Human Behavior, organisational psychologists Allen Grabo and Mark van Vugt explore the origins and functions of charismatic leadership. Charismatic …
Continue reading Charismatic Leadership Through the Lens of Evolution
Darwinian Business 