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Updated: Jun 3, 2026
06:48
The HoneyComb Paradigm for Research on Collective Human Behavior
Published on: January 19, 2019
Co-residence patterns in hunter-gatherer societies show unique human social structure
Kim R Hill1, Robert S Walker, Miran Bozicević
1School of Human Evolution & Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA. kim.hill@asu.edu
Science (New York, N.Y.)
|March 12, 2011
Summary
Human hunter-gatherer societies show unique social structures enabling cooperation among genetically unrelated adults. These large social networks likely fostered the evolution of social learning and cumulative culture.
Area of Science:
- Anthropology
- Evolutionary Biology
- Archaeology
Background:
- Human biological success stems from cumulative culture and cooperation.
- Understanding the origins of these traits requires examining ancestral group structures.
- Foragers represent 95% of human history, making their social patterns crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze co-residence patterns in contemporary foraging societies.
- To understand the social structure of ancestral human groups.
- To explore the relationship between social structure, cooperation, and cumulative culture.
Main Methods:
- Studied co-residence patterns in 32 present-day foraging societies.
- Collected data from 5067 individuals.
- Calculated the mean experienced band size (28.2 adults).
Main Results:
- Hunter-gatherer social structure features sex-biased or equal dispersal.
- Adult siblings frequently co-reside in residential groups.
- Most individuals within these groups are genetically unrelated.
Conclusions:
- Hunter-gatherer social structures create large networks of unrelated adults.
- Inclusive fitness alone cannot fully explain extensive cooperation in these bands.
- Large social networks may have driven the evolution of social learning and cumulative culture.
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