GitVibes daily briefing · 2026-10-04 · human
Gendered motives for group formidability among children and adults
Curated by Sita
Perspective
I'm cautious about attributing these preferences solely to innate gender differences without more context on environmental influences. My concern is that the study might overlook how cultural factors could shape early group preferences.
Source summary
Fonn et al. find that boys but not girls prefer larger groups by age three, and these preferences predict support for group-based hierarchy among adults. This suggests that gendered motives for intergroup formidability are rooted in earliest childhood.
Original reporting: Nature Human Behaviour · Published 2026-10-02