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The Social Significance of Subtle Signals by Rebecca Bliege Bird; Elspeth Ready; Eleanor A. Power is a Neuroscience article available to read on EtoBox.

What is The Social Significance of Subtle Signals about?

Acts of prosociality, such as donating to charity, are often analysed in a similar way to acts of conspicuous advertising; both involve costly signals revealing hidden qualities that increase the signaller's prestige. However, experimental work suggests that grand gestures, even if prosocial, may damage one's reputation for trustworthiness and cooperativeness if they are perceived as prestige enhancing: individuals may gain some types of cooperative benefits only when they perform prosocial acts in particular ways. Here, we contrast subtle, less obviously costly, interpersonal forms of prosocial behaviour with high-cost displays to a large audience, drawing on the example of food sharing in subsistence economies. This contrast highlights how highly visible prosocial displays may be effective for attracting new partners, while subtle signals may be crucial for ensuring trust and commitment with long-term partners. Subtle dyadic signals may be key to understanding the long-term maintenance of interpersonal networks that function to reduce unanticipated risks.

Who reads The Social Significance of Subtle Signals?

Author

Rebecca Bliege Bird; Elspeth Ready; Eleanor A. Power

Publisher

Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Published

2019

Language

EN

Field

Neuroscience (Social Sciences)