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Cooperation and the evolution of hunter-gatherer storytelling

Author

Listed:
  • Daniel Smith

    (University College London
    University of Bristol)

  • Philip Schlaepfer

    (AgtaAid)

  • Katie Major

    (Bristol Zoological Society)

  • Mark Dyble

    (Jesus College, University of Cambridge
    University of Cambridge)

  • Abigail E. Page

    (University College London)

  • James Thompson

    (University College London)

  • Nikhil Chaudhary

    (University College London)

  • Gul Deniz Salali

    (University College London)

  • Ruth Mace

    (University College London
    School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University)

  • Leonora Astete

    (Lyceum of the Philippines University, Community Outreach and Service Learning)

  • Marilyn Ngales

    (Lyceum of the Philippines University, Community Outreach and Service Learning)

  • Lucio Vinicius

    (University College London)

  • Andrea Bamberg Migliano

    (University College London)

Abstract

Storytelling is a human universal. From gathering around the camp-fire telling tales of ancestors to watching the latest television box-set, humans are inveterate producers and consumers of stories. Despite its ubiquity, little attention has been given to understanding the function and evolution of storytelling. Here we explore the impact of storytelling on hunter-gatherer cooperative behaviour and the individual-level fitness benefits to being a skilled storyteller. Stories told by the Agta, a Filipino hunter-gatherer population, convey messages relevant to coordinating behaviour in a foraging ecology, such as cooperation, sex equality and egalitarianism. These themes are present in narratives from other foraging societies. We also show that the presence of good storytellers is associated with increased cooperation. In return, skilled storytellers are preferred social partners and have greater reproductive success, providing a pathway by which group-beneficial behaviours, such as storytelling, can evolve via individual-level selection. We conclude that one of the adaptive functions of storytelling among hunter gatherers may be to organise cooperation.

Suggested Citation

  • Daniel Smith & Philip Schlaepfer & Katie Major & Mark Dyble & Abigail E. Page & James Thompson & Nikhil Chaudhary & Gul Deniz Salali & Ruth Mace & Leonora Astete & Marilyn Ngales & Lucio Vinicius & An, 2017. "Cooperation and the evolution of hunter-gatherer storytelling," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 8(1), pages 1-9, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:8:y:2017:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-017-02036-8
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-02036-8
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    Cited by:

    1. Susan L. Prescott & Alan C. Logan, 2019. "Narrative Medicine Meets Planetary Health: Mindsets Matter in the Anthropocene," Challenges, MDPI, vol. 10(1), pages 1-26, February.
    2. Andrews, Mary E. & Mattan, Bradley D. & Richards, Keana & Moore-Berg, Samantha L. & Falk, Emily B., 2022. "Using first-person narratives about healthcare workers and people who are incarcerated to motivate helping behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 299(C).
    3. Emanuele Castano, 2021. "Art films foster theory of mind," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 8(1), pages 1-10, December.
    4. Daniel Borup & Jorge Wolfgang Hansen & Benjamin Dybro Liengaard & Erik Christian Montes Schütte, 2023. "Quantifying investor narratives and their role during COVID‐19," Journal of Applied Econometrics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 38(4), pages 512-532, June.

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