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Why societies are important and grow so large: Tribes, nations, and teams

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 April 2025

Roy F. Baumeister Open the ORCID record for Roy F. Baumeister [Opens in a new window]  and
Danny Southwick
Roy F. Baumeister*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Constructor University Bremen, Bremen, Germany r.baumeister@uq.edu.au danny_southwick@byu.edu
Danny Southwick
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA
*
*Corresponding author.
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Abstract

Moffett's definition of societies could be augmented by recognizing society's organizing systems that coordinate diverse individuals' behavior for collective good. Viewing humans as cultural animals indicates three reasons for ever larger societies: More shared information, bigger and better marketplace for exchange, and military superiority in numbers. Sports teams are societies offering a promising venue for empirical work.

Information

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 48 , 2025 , e54
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Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press

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References

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