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Altruism through beard chromodynamics

Author

Listed:
  • Vincent A. A. Jansen

    (University of London)

  • Minus van Baalen

    (Université Pierre et Marie Curie)

Abstract

How green is your beard? The evolution of altruism, especially as directed to non-kin, is an enigma of evolutionary biology. Explanations would come easier, however, if altruists were readily recognized. Arguably the simplest recognition system is a conspicuous, heritable tag. A green beard would do it. A few examples of the ‘green beard effect’ have been reported in human interactions, though beards per se and greenness tend not to feature. A problem with this explanation is the improbability of one gene encoding all three functions (altruism, tag and recognition). Based on modelling, Jansen and van Baalen identify a further problem with this theory: even if green beard genes can be selectively advantageous, altruism is unstable under previous assumptions. But, they add, the evolution of cooperation using a recognition mechanism may be more likely if many beard colours coexist.

Suggested Citation

  • Vincent A. A. Jansen & Minus van Baalen, 2006. "Altruism through beard chromodynamics," Nature, Nature, vol. 440(7084), pages 663-666, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:440:y:2006:i:7084:d:10.1038_nature04387
    DOI: 10.1038/nature04387
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    1. Wang, Xianjia & Lv, Shaojie, 2019. "The roles of particle swarm intelligence in the prisoner’s dilemma based on continuous and mixed strategy systems on scale-free networks," Applied Mathematics and Computation, Elsevier, vol. 355(C), pages 213-220.
    2. Wang, Xiaofeng & Chen, Xiaojie & Gao, Jia & Wang, Long, 2013. "Reputation-based mutual selection rule promotes cooperation in spatial threshold public goods games," Chaos, Solitons & Fractals, Elsevier, vol. 56(C), pages 181-187.
    3. Te Wu & Long Wang & Feng Fu, 2017. "Coevolutionary dynamics of phenotypic diversity and contingent cooperation," PLOS Computational Biology, Public Library of Science, vol. 13(1), pages 1-16, January.
    4. Nax, Heinrich H. & Rigos, Alexandros, 2015. "Assortativity evolving from social dilemmas," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 65447, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    5. Yutaka Nakai, 2014. "In-group favoritism due to friend selection strategies based on fixed tag and within-group reputation," Rationality and Society, , vol. 26(3), pages 320-354, August.
    6. Lehmann, Laurent & Feldman, Marcus W., 2008. "The co-evolution of culturally inherited altruistic helping and cultural transmission under random group formation," Theoretical Population Biology, Elsevier, vol. 73(4), pages 506-516.
    7. Matthijs van Veelen & Benjamin Allen & Moshe Hoffman & Burton Simon & Carl Veller, 2016. "Inclusive Fitness," Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers 16-055/I, Tinbergen Institute.
    8. Fabio Della Rossa & Fabio Dercole & Anna Di Meglio, 2020. "Direct Reciprocity and Model-Predictive Strategy Update Explain the Network Reciprocity Observed in Socioeconomic Networks," Games, MDPI, vol. 11(1), pages 1-28, March.
    9. Sam P Brown & François Taddei, 2007. "The Durability of Public Goods Changes the Dynamics and Nature of Social Dilemmas," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 2(7), pages 1-7, July.
    10. Thomas W. Scott & Alan Grafen & Stuart A. West, 2022. "Multiple social encounters can eliminate Crozier’s paradox and stabilise genetic kin recognition," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-19, December.
    11. Tanimoto, Jun, 2010. "The effect of assortativity by degree on emerging cooperation in a 2×2 dilemma game played on an evolutionary network," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 389(16), pages 3325-3335.
    12. Genki Ichinose & Masaya Saito & Hiroki Sayama & Hugues Bersini, 2015. "Transitions Between Homophilic and Heterophilic Modes of Cooperation," Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation, Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation, vol. 18(4), pages 1-3.
    13. Charles G Nathanson & Corina E Tarnita & Martin A Nowak, 2009. "Calculating Evolutionary Dynamics in Structured Populations," PLOS Computational Biology, Public Library of Science, vol. 5(12), pages 1-7, December.
    14. Xiaojie Chen & Alana Schick & Michael Doebeli & Alistair Blachford & Long Wang, 2012. "Reputation-Based Conditional Interaction Supports Cooperation in Well-Mixed Prisoner’s Dilemmas," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 7(5), pages 1-7, May.
    15. David Hales & Bruce Edmonds, 2019. "Intragenerational Cultural Evolution and Ethnocentrism," Journal of Conflict Resolution, Peace Science Society (International), vol. 63(5), pages 1283-1309, May.
    16. Markus Brede, 2013. "Costly Advertising and the Evolution of Cooperation," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 8(7), pages 1-7, July.
    17. Justin P Bruner, 2015. "Diversity, tolerance, and the social contract," Politics, Philosophy & Economics, , vol. 14(4), pages 429-448, November.
    18. Zhang, Hong & Ye, Hang, 2016. "Role of perception cost in tag-mediated cooperation," Applied Mathematics and Computation, Elsevier, vol. 279(C), pages 76-89.
    19. Yu, Fengyuan & Wang, Jianwei & Chen, Wei & He, Jialu, 2023. "Increased cooperation potential and risk under suppressed strategy differentiation," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 621(C).
    20. Faqi Du & Feng Fu, 2011. "Partner Selection Shapes the Strategic and Topological Evolution of Cooperation," Dynamic Games and Applications, Springer, vol. 1(3), pages 354-369, September.
    21. Ho Fai Chan & Ahmed Skali & David Stadelmann & Benno Torgler & Stephen Whyte, 2021. "Masculinity cues, perceptions of politician attributes, and political behavior," Economics and Politics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 33(1), pages 148-171, March.
    22. William Casey & Jose Andre Morales & Evan Wright & Quanyan Zhu & Bud Mishra, 2016. "Compliance signaling games: toward modeling the deterrence of insider threats," Computational and Mathematical Organization Theory, Springer, vol. 22(3), pages 318-349, September.
    23. Andrew Buskell & Magnus Enquist & Fredrik Jansson, 2019. "A systems approach to cultural evolution," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 5(1), pages 1-15, December.

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