Social Networks and Cooperation in Hunter-Gatherers

Social networks exhibit striking structural regularities(1,2), and theory and evidence suggest that they may have played a role in the development of large-scale cooperation in humans(3–7). Here, we characterize the social networks of the Hadza, an evolutionarily relevant population of hunter-gatherers(8). We show that Hadza networks exhibit important properties also seen in modernized networks, including a skewed degree distribution, degree assortativity, transitivity, reciprocity, geographic decay, and homophily. Moreover, we demonstrate that Hadza camps exhibit high between-group and low within-group variation in public goods game donations. Network ties are also more likely between people who give the same amount, and the similarity in cooperative behaviour extends up to two degrees of separation. Finally, social distance appears to be as important as genetic relatedness and physical proximity in explaining assortativity in cooperation. Our results suggest that certain elements of social network structure may have been present at an early point in human history; that early humans may have formed ties with both kin and non-kin based, in part, on their tendency to cooperate; and that social networks may have contributed to the emergence of cooperation.