How small-scale societies achieve large-scale cooperation

For most of our species' 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 smallscale 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 smallscale communities adapt to diverse ecological and social niches.

Automated summary

This article examines several mechanisms promoting cooperation in small-scale societies, including social norms, reciprocal exchange relationships, reputation, relational wealth, and risk buffering institutions, with ethnographic and psychological evidence supporting their roles in cooperation. These cooperation mechanisms have helped small-scale communities in the past and present adapt to diverse ecological and social niches.