Prosocial reputation and stress among contemporary hunter-gatherers: the Hadza case

Piotr Fedurek, Athena Aktipis, Lee Cronk, Dariusz Danel, Laurent Lacroix, Julia Lehmann, Ibrahim Mabulla, Jerryson E Makambi, J Colette Berbesque

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Abstract

It has been suggested that having a reputation for being prosocial is a critical part of social status across all human societies. It has also been argued that prosocial behavior confers benefits, whether physiological, such as stress reduction, or social, such as building allies or becoming more popular. Here, we investigate the relationship between helping reputation (being named as someone others would go to for help), and hair-derived chronic stress (hair cortisol concentration). In a sample of 77 women and 62 men, we found that perceived helping reputation was not related to chronic stress. Overall, the results of our study suggest that, in an egalitarian society with fluid camp membership and widely practiced generosity such as the Hadza, helping reputation does not necessarily boost stress-related health benefits through prestige-signaling mechanisms observed in hierarchical, large-scale societies. [Abstract copyright: © 2024. The Author(s).]
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)21403
JournalScientific Reports
Volume14
Issue number1
Early online date13 Sept 2024
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 13 Sept 2024

Keywords

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Cooperation
  • Cortisol
  • Female
  • Generosity
  • Hair - chemistry
  • Humans
  • Hunter-gatherers
  • Hydrocortisone - metabolism - analysis
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Prosociality
  • Social Behavior
  • Stress, Psychological

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