In this commentary, we review and question Brosnan's hypothesis that inequity aversion (IA) evolved as a domain-specific social mechanism. We then outline an alternative, domain-general, account of IA. As opposed to Brosnan's social hypothesis, we propose that IA evolved from more general reward mechanisms. In particular, we argue reference-dependence and loss-aversion can account for the evolution of IA in primates. We discuss recent work on reference-dependence and explore how it may have given rise to inequality-averse behavior in social settings. We conclude with suggestions for future work examining the proximate mechanisms that give rise to IA.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Axelrod R., Hamilton W. D. (1981). The evolution of cooperation. Science 211:1390–1396
Brosnan, S. F. (2006). Nonhuman species’ reactions to inequity and their implications for fairness. Soc. Justice Res., this volume.
Brosnan S. F., de Waal F. B. M. (2003). Monkeys reject unequal pay. Nature, 425:297–299
Brosnan S. F., de Waal F. B. M. (2004). Socially learned preferences for differentially rewarded tokens in the Brown Capuchin Monkey (Cebus apella). J. Comp. Psychol., 118:133–139
Chen, M. K., Lakshminarayanan, V., and Santos, L. (2006). How basic are behavioral biases? Evidence from Capuchin-Monkey trading behavior.Journal of Political Economy 114: 517–537.
Fragaszy D. M., Fedigan L. M., Visalberghi E. (2004). The Complete Capuchin: The Biology of the Genus Cebus Cambridge University Press New York
Genesove D., Mayer C. (2001) Loss aversion and seller behavior: Evidence from the housing market. Quart. J. Econ. 116:1233–1260
Gintis, H., Bowles, S., Boyd, Robert T., and Fehr, E. (eds.) (2004). Moral Sentiments and Material Interests: The Foundations of Cooperation in Economic Life, Cambridge, MA, MIT Press
Hardie B. G. S., Johnson E. J., Fader P. S. (1993). Modeling loss aversion and reference-dependence effects on brand choice. Market. Sci. 12:378–394
Hauser, M. D. (2006). Moral Minds: The Unconscious Voice of Right and Wrong, Harper Collins, New York
Kahneman D., Tversky A. (1979). Prospect theory: An analysis of decision under risk. Econometrica 47:263–292
Odean T. (1998). Are investors reluctant to realize their losses? J. Finance, 5:1775–1798
Rayo, L., and Becker, G. (2005). Evolutionary Efficiency and Happiness. University of Chicago Department of Economics Working Paper
Santos L. R., Sulkowski G., Spaepen G. M., Hauser M. D. (2002). Object individuation using property/kind information in Rhesus Macaques (Macaca mulatta). Cognition, 83:241–264
Sober E., Wilson D. S. (1998). Unto Others: The Evolution and Psychology of Unselfish Behavior. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press
Tinklepaugh O. L. (1928). An experimental study of representative factors in monkeys. J. Comp. Psychol., 8:197–236
Trivers R. L. (1971). The evolution of reciprocal altruism. Quart. Rev. Biol., 46:35–57
Tversky A., Kahneman D. (1991). Loss aversion in riskless choice: a reference-dependent model. Quart. J. Econ., 106:1039–1061
de Waal F. B. M., Davis J. M. (2003). Capuchin cognitive ecology: Cooperation based on projected returns. Neuropsychologia, 41(2):221–228
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Keith Chen, M., Santos, L.R. Some Thoughts on the Adaptive Function of Inequity Aversion: An Alternative to Brosnan’s Social Hypothesis. Soc Just Res 19, 201–207 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/PL00022138
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/PL00022138