Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Inclusive Fitness

Inclusive Fitness

Most altruistic behavior—in which one animal helps another at a cost to themselves—occurs between relatives. Scientists think these altruistic behaviors evolved because they increase the inclusive fitness of the animal providing help.

Factors Influencing Attraction IV: Reciprocity

Factors Influencing Attraction IV: Reciprocity

Reciprocity in attraction is fundamental to social and romantic relationships, shaping how individuals form and maintain connections. The psychological principle underlying this phenomenon is that people tend to like those who express liking toward them. Balance theory supports this tendency, suggesting that mutual attraction fosters psychological harmony, whereas one-sided affection leads to discomfort and cognitive dissonance.The Psychological Mechanisms Behind ReciprocityWhen individuals...

Social Exchange Theory

Social Exchange Theory

As formulated by John Thibaut and Harold Kelley, Social Exchange Theory explains human relationships as economic-like exchanges that maximize rewards and minimize costs. This theory suggests that individuals engage in relationships to gain benefits and reduce burdens, similar to economic transactions. It has been widely applied to various types of relationships, including romantic, professional, and social interactions.Rewards and Costs in RelationshipsRelationship rewards include emotional...

Criticisms of the Evolutionary Perspective

Criticisms of the Evolutionary Perspective

In a study where individuals posing as strangers offered compliments and proposed casual sex to students, the responses differed significantly based on gender. Not a single woman accepted the proposal, while 70% of the men agreed. This outcome provides a useful scenario to explore through the lens of evolutionary psychology and social learning theory, highlighting the diverse perspectives on human sexual behaviors.
Evolutionary psychology provides one explanation for these findings, suggesting...

Relationship Formation

Relationship Formation

What do you think is the single most influential factor in determining with whom you become friends and whom you form romantic relationships? You might be surprised to learn that the answer is simple: the people with whom you have the most contact. This most important factor is proximity. You are more likely to be friends with people you have regular contact with. For example, there are decades of research that shows that you are more likely to become friends with people who live in your dorm,...

Social Exchange Theory

Social Exchange Theory

We have discussed why we form relationships, what attracts us to others, and different types of love. But what determines whether we are satisfied with and stay in a relationship? One theory that provides an explanation is social exchange theory. According to social exchange theory, we act as naïve economists in keeping a tally of the ratio of costs and benefits of forming and maintaining a relationship with others (Rusbult & Van Lange, 2003).

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Deformed wing virus affects foraging success and foraging specialization of honeybee workers.

Scientific reports·2025

Same author

Early-season helping yields increasing returns to scale at the onset of eusociality.

Evolution letters·2025

Same author

Age-related differences in learning, memory and brain plasticity in workers of the common wasp, Vespula vulgaris.

The Journal of experimental biology·2025

Same author

Conflict over caste fate in insect societies.

Biological reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society·2025

Same author

Impact of Nectar Composition and Nectar Yeasts on Volatile Emissions and Parasitoid Behavior.

Journal of chemical ecology·2025

Same author

<i>Drosophila suzukii</i> and <i>Drosophila melanogaster</i> prefer distinct microbial and plant aroma compounds in a complex fermented matrix.

iScience·2024

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 3, 2026

Using the FishSim Animation Toolchain to Investigate Fish Behavior: A Case Study on Mate-Choice Copying In Sailfin Mollies

Using the FishSim Animation Toolchain to Investigate Fish Behavior: A Case Study on Mate-Choice Copying In Sailfin Mollies

Published on: November 8, 2018

Social evolution: when promiscuity breeds cooperation.

Jelle S van Zweden¹, Dries Cardoen, Tom Wenseleers

¹Laboratory of Socioecology and Social Evolution, Department of Biology, University of Leuven, Naamsestraat 59, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.

Current Biology : CB

|November 10, 2012

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Close family ties usually promote cooperation, but in social insects, promiscuous queens and lower relatedness can surprisingly enhance cooperative behavior, challenging established social evolution theories.

More Related Videos

Monitoring Spatial Segregation in Surface Colonizing Microbial Populations

Monitoring Spatial Segregation in Surface Colonizing Microbial Populations

Published on: October 29, 2016

Combining Behavioral Endocrinology and Experimental Economics: Testosterone and Social Decision Making

Combining Behavioral Endocrinology and Experimental Economics: Testosterone and Social Decision Making

Published on: March 2, 2011

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jan 3, 2026

Using the FishSim Animation Toolchain to Investigate Fish Behavior: A Case Study on Mate-Choice Copying In Sailfin Mollies

Using the FishSim Animation Toolchain to Investigate Fish Behavior: A Case Study on Mate-Choice Copying In Sailfin Mollies

Published on: November 8, 2018

Monitoring Spatial Segregation in Surface Colonizing Microbial Populations

Monitoring Spatial Segregation in Surface Colonizing Microbial Populations

Published on: October 29, 2016

Combining Behavioral Endocrinology and Experimental Economics: Testosterone and Social Decision Making

Combining Behavioral Endocrinology and Experimental Economics: Testosterone and Social Decision Making

Published on: March 2, 2011

Area of Science:

Social evolution
Behavioral ecology
Insect sociality

Background:

Traditional social evolution theory posits that high genetic relatedness, typically found in close family, strongly favors cooperative behavior.
This principle is widely accepted and applied across various social species.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the conditions under which cooperative behavior evolves in social insects.
To challenge the assumption that close family ties and high relatedness are prerequisites for cooperation.
To explore the role of queen promiscuity and its impact on relatedness and cooperation.

Main Methods:

Review of existing empirical evidence from social insect studies.
Analysis of theoretical models examining the interplay of relatedness, mating systems, and cooperation.
Comparative study across different social insect taxa.

Main Results:

Accumulating evidence suggests that queen promiscuity, leading to lower average relatedness among colony members, can sometimes correlate with higher levels of cooperation.
In certain social insect species, non-kin interactions and diverse genetic backgrounds within a colony do not impede but may even facilitate complex social structures.
Observed cooperative behaviors in some species appear to be maintained despite, or perhaps because of, reduced genetic relatedness.

Conclusions:

The established link between close family ties and cooperation requires re-evaluation in the context of social insects.
Queen mating behavior (promiscuity) is a critical factor influencing colony genetic structure and the evolution of cooperation.
Social evolution in insects demonstrates that cooperation can be sustained through mechanisms other than high relatedness, broadening our understanding of sociality.