Social networks show striking structural regularities, and both
theory and evidence suggest that networks may have facilitated
the development of large-scale cooperation in humans. Here,
we characterize the social networks of the Hadza, a population of
hunter-gatherers in Tanzania. We show that Hadza networks have
important properties also seen in modernized social networks,
including a skewed degree distribution, degree assortativity, transitivity,
reciprocity, geographic decay and homophily. We demonstrate
that Hadza camps exhibit high between-group and low
within-group variation in public goods game donations. Network
ties are also more likely between people who give the same amount,
and the similarity in cooperative behaviour extendsup to two degrees
of separation. Social distance appears to be as important as genetic
relatedness and physical proximity in explaining assortativity in
cooperation. Our results suggest that certain elements of social network
structure may have been present at an early point in human
history. Also, early humans may have formed ties with both kin and
non-kin, based in part on their tendency to cooperate. Social networks
may thus have contributed to the emergence of cooperation.
Nature Publishing Group, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited. All Rights Reserved.
volume
481
issn
0028-0836
posted-at
2012-01-28 14:58:35
priority
0
citeulike-article-id
10274302
citeulike-linkout-1
http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nature10736
comment
"Certain elements of social network
structure may have been present at an early point in human
history. (...) Social networks
may thus have contributed to the emergence of cooperation."
"Social
networks may have co-evolved with the widespread cooperation in
humans that we observe today."
%0 Journal Article
%1 chritakis_2012
%A Apicella, Coren L.
%A Marlowe, Frank W.
%A Fowler, James H.
%A Christakis, Nicholas A.
%D 2012
%I Nature Publishing Group, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited. All Rights Reserved.
%J Nature
%K cooperation evolution gametheory networkanalysis networks
%N 7382
%P 497--501
%R 10.1038/nature10736
%T Social networks and cooperation in hunter-gatherers
%U http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nature10736
%V 481
%X Social networks show striking structural regularities, and both
theory and evidence suggest that networks may have facilitated
the development of large-scale cooperation in humans. Here,
we characterize the social networks of the Hadza, a population of
hunter-gatherers in Tanzania. We show that Hadza networks have
important properties also seen in modernized social networks,
including a skewed degree distribution, degree assortativity, transitivity,
reciprocity, geographic decay and homophily. We demonstrate
that Hadza camps exhibit high between-group and low
within-group variation in public goods game donations. Network
ties are also more likely between people who give the same amount,
and the similarity in cooperative behaviour extendsup to two degrees
of separation. Social distance appears to be as important as genetic
relatedness and physical proximity in explaining assortativity in
cooperation. Our results suggest that certain elements of social network
structure may have been present at an early point in human
history. Also, early humans may have formed ties with both kin and
non-kin, based in part on their tendency to cooperate. Social networks
may thus have contributed to the emergence of cooperation.
@article{chritakis_2012,
abstract = {{Social networks show striking structural regularities, and both
theory and evidence suggest that networks may have facilitated
the development of large-scale cooperation in humans. Here,
we characterize the social networks of the Hadza, a population of
hunter-gatherers in Tanzania. We show that Hadza networks have
important properties also seen in modernized social networks,
including a skewed degree distribution, degree assortativity, transitivity,
reciprocity, geographic decay and homophily. We demonstrate
that Hadza camps exhibit high between-group and low
within-group variation in public goods game donations. Network
ties are also more likely between people who give the same amount,
and the similarity in cooperative behaviour extendsup to two degrees
of separation. Social distance appears to be as important as genetic
relatedness and physical proximity in explaining assortativity in
cooperation. Our results suggest that certain elements of social network
structure may have been present at an early point in human
history. Also, early humans may have formed ties with both kin and
non-kin, based in part on their tendency to cooperate. Social networks
may thus have contributed to the emergence of cooperation.}},
added-at = {2012-10-02T06:52:48.000+0200},
author = {Apicella, Coren L. and Marlowe, Frank W. and Fowler, James H. and Christakis, Nicholas A.},
biburl = {https://www.bibsonomy.org/bibtex/2046281399084f372af677a832197e747/heinzwittenbrink},
citeulike-article-id = {10274302},
citeulike-linkout-0 = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nature10736},
citeulike-linkout-1 = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nature10736},
comment = {"[C]ertain elements of social network
structure may have been present at an early point in human
history. (...) Social networks
may thus have contributed to the emergence of cooperation."
"[S]ocial
networks may have co-evolved with the widespread cooperation in
humans that we observe today."},
day = 26,
doi = {10.1038/nature10736},
interhash = {1a943c3a29df78a286787dcf4bad0276},
intrahash = {046281399084f372af677a832197e747},
issn = {0028-0836},
journal = {Nature},
keywords = {cooperation evolution gametheory networkanalysis networks},
month = jan,
number = 7382,
pages = {497--501},
posted-at = {2012-01-28 14:58:35},
priority = {0},
publisher = {Nature Publishing Group, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited. All Rights Reserved.},
timestamp = {2012-10-02T06:52:48.000+0200},
title = {{Social networks and cooperation in hunter-gatherers}},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nature10736},
volume = 481,
year = 2012
}