Competitive Altruism as a Status Signal and Reproductive Strategies in Their Expression in Men and Women

Abstract

Social status provides multiple benefits in scenarios of intrasexual competition. Competitive altruism is described as those in which individuals compete in terms of generosity to gain status through prestige. The objective of this study was to test whether competitive altruism is an honest signal reflecting the status and reputation of the individual in groups where hierarchies are pre-established and the willingness to cooperate in groups of strangers. Additionally, considering linking competitive altruism and mating strategies, we aim to investigate the role of sociosexuality in the expression of sexual differences in competitive altruism. We measure this relationship by considering two contexts: participants know each other (N=176) and another where subjects do not know each other (N=184). A sample of 361 individuals (192 women), 18 and 58 were recruited. Participants answered instruments and then played an economic game to measure individuals' social status. Finally, they were allowed to publicly donate part of their earnings to a fictitious foundation. Our results indicate a relationship between individuals' status and competitive altruism in groups of people with a pre-existing history. Furthermore, we found no sex differences in the expression of competitive altruism, indicating that both sexes compete to gain status through prestige.

Keywords: competitive altruism, social status, sociosexuality