% pubman genre = article @article{item_3349150, title = {{How small-scale societies achieve large-scale cooperation}}, author = {Glowacki, Luke and Lew-Levy, Sheina}, language = {eng}, issn = {2352-250X}, doi = {10.1016/j.copsyc.2021.08.026}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Amsterdam}, year = {2022}, date = {2022-04}, abstract = {{For most of our species{\textquoteright} history, humans have lived in relatively small subsistence communities, often called small-scale societies. While these groups lack centralized institutions, they can and often do maintain large-scale cooperation. Here, we explore several mechanisms promoting cooperation in small-scale societies, including (a) the development of social norms that encourage prosocial behavior, (b) reciprocal exchange relationships, (c) reputation that facilitates high-cost cooperation, (d) relational wealth, and (e) risk buffering institutions. We illustrate these with ethnographic and psychological evidence from contemporary small-scale societies. We argue that these mechanisms for cooperation helped past and present small-scale communities adapt to diverse ecological and social niches.}}, journal = {{Current Opinion in Psychology}}, volume = {44}, pages = {44--48}, }