Trusted, Automoderated users
17,538
edits
Dominance hierarchy: Difference between revisions
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
no edit summary
No edit summary |
|||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
A '''dominance hierarchy''' is an arrangement in | A '''dominance hierarchy''' is an arrangement in a group of animals in which each member has a rank that everyone mostly agrees on. | ||
== Overview == | == Overview == | ||
| Line 7: | Line 7: | ||
This enables cooperation by reducing chances of aggression which may explain why such behaviors have evolved in many animals. | This enables cooperation by reducing chances of aggression which may explain why such behaviors have evolved in many animals. | ||
The highest ranking animal is called ''alpha'', the next highest ''beta'' and so on. In many species, the alpha animals have some interest in maintaining alliances with lower ranking ones to avoid a [[Beta uprising|beta/omega uprising | The highest ranking animal is called ''alpha'', the next highest ''beta'' and so on (see [[Alpha, Beta, Omega|alpha, beta, omega]]). In many species, the alpha animals have some interest in maintaining alliances with lower ranking ones to avoid a [[Beta uprising|beta/omega uprising]]. | ||
Dominance hierarchies are regulated by various inherited behaviors and abilities, | Dominance hierarchies are regulated by various inherited behaviors and abilities, for example the ability to remember and recognize one's own and other's ranks quickly and reliably, but they also include emotions and signals like envy, admiration, status drive, as well as signals of dominance (confidence) and signals of acceptance of lower rank (withdrawal, submission, bowing, blushing, smiling, depression and anxiety). The event of someone's status being challenged typically arouses high interest and excitement from everyone in the dominance hierarchy. This is why watching sports is exciting. | ||
== Dominance hierarchies in humans == | == Dominance hierarchies in humans == | ||
In most animals, rank is only decided by strength and health, but in others also by [[beauty|ornament]]. | In most animals, rank is only decided by strength and health, but in others also by [[beauty|ornament]]. | ||
Humans have the most complex behavior of all animals and a wide variety of things determine status such as competence, looks/ornament, strength, humor, | Humans have the most complex behavior of all animals and a wide variety of things determine status such as competence, looks/ornament, strength, humor, power and resources. Everyone is part of many status hierarchies at the same time, which are either formal or informal.<ref>https://www.amazon.com/Behave-Biology-Humans-Best-Worst/dp/1594205078</ref> | ||
Modern human status hierarchies are both larger and a lot more strict/formal than the natural ones | Modern human status hierarchies are both larger and a lot more strict/formal than the natural ones in hunter-gatherers.<ref>https://www.amazon.com/dp/1594205078</ref> | ||
In modern hierarchies, status is explicitly represented e.g. by occupational prestige, income or educational qualifications, often within large organizational or economic systems, possibly spanning the entire world. | |||
But much of the ancient ways of organizing smaller hierarchies exist nearly unchanged, e.g. the way people automatically respect tall and strong men, and also good and dominant looking men<ref>https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1948550617732388</ref> and individuals who have achieved a high level of competence.<ref>https://incels.wiki/w/Dominance_hierarchy#Eye_contact</ref> Large formal hierarchies as economic hierarchies are not as directly tied to emotional, physiological and mental states (confidence vs depression) as informal hierarchies e.g. among coworkers, classmates or social circles. | But much of the ancient ways of organizing smaller hierarchies exist nearly unchanged, e.g. the way people automatically respect tall and strong men, and also good and dominant looking men<ref>https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1948550617732388</ref> and individuals who have achieved a high level of competence.<ref>https://incels.wiki/w/Dominance_hierarchy#Eye_contact</ref> Large formal hierarchies, such as economic hierarchies are not as directly tied to emotional, physiological and mental states (confidence vs depression) as informal hierarchies e.g. among coworkers, classmates or social circles. | ||
Men's hierarchies revolve more around the ability to extract resources, but also looks. Since men benefit from cooperation in resource extraction, their intrasexual competition is more productive and cooperative than women's. | Men's hierarchies revolve more around the ability to extract resources, but also looks. Since men benefit from cooperation in resource extraction, their intrasexual competition is more productive and cooperative than women's. | ||
| Line 36: | Line 36: | ||
=== Eye contact === | === Eye contact === | ||
Another simple dominance signal is eye contact. | Another simple dominance signal is eye contact. One study found that people pay more attention to men with high status cues. Interestingly, neither men or women pay more attention to women with high status cues.<ref>https://incels.wiki/w/Scientific_Blackpill_(Supplemental)#Women_.28and_men.29_pay_more_attention_to_high_status_men.2C_not_high_status_women</ref> | ||
This is particularly noticeable during speaking. | |||
More dominant people keep eye contact when speaking, perhaps because they do not fear being judged as overconfident hence do not need to divert attention by looking away. | More dominant people keep eye contact when speaking, perhaps because they do not fear being judged as overconfident hence do not need to divert attention by looking away. | ||
Conversely, more dominant people also look away when someone is speaking, perhaps because they can afford to ignore less dominant people speaking. | Conversely, more dominant people also look away when someone is speaking, perhaps because they can afford to ignore less dominant people speaking. | ||