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Tolerance as a key mechanism for large-scale social cohesion.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Zhou, W; Yin, B; Su, Y; Hare, B
Published in: The Behavioral and brain sciences
November 2025

Grooming and cognition support primate group cohesion but are insufficient for maintaining stability in large groups. We propose tolerance, the capacity to accommodate social stress, as an additional mechanism. Tolerance fosters flexible social skills and cooperation beyond small cliques. Shaped by hormonal adaptation and development, tolerance plays a foundational role in overcoming group size limits by sustaining complex social networks.

Duke Scholars

Published In

The Behavioral and brain sciences

DOI

EISSN

1469-1825

ISSN

0140-525X

Publication Date

November 2025

Volume

48

Start / End Page

e189

Related Subject Headings

  • Stress, Psychological
  • Social Behavior
  • Humans
  • Grooming
  • Experimental Psychology
  • Cooperative Behavior
  • Animals
  • Adaptation, Psychological
  • 5204 Cognitive and computational psychology
  • 5202 Biological psychology
 

Citation

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ICMJE
MLA
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Zhou, W., Yin, B., Su, Y., & Hare, B. (2025). Tolerance as a key mechanism for large-scale social cohesion. The Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 48, e189. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0140525x25100435
Zhou, Wen, Bin Yin, Yanjie Su, and Brian Hare. “Tolerance as a key mechanism for large-scale social cohesion.The Behavioral and Brain Sciences 48 (November 2025): e189. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0140525x25100435.
Zhou W, Yin B, Su Y, Hare B. Tolerance as a key mechanism for large-scale social cohesion. The Behavioral and brain sciences. 2025 Nov;48:e189.
Zhou, Wen, et al. “Tolerance as a key mechanism for large-scale social cohesion.The Behavioral and Brain Sciences, vol. 48, Nov. 2025, p. e189. Epmc, doi:10.1017/s0140525x25100435.
Zhou W, Yin B, Su Y, Hare B. Tolerance as a key mechanism for large-scale social cohesion. The Behavioral and brain sciences. 2025 Nov;48:e189.
Journal cover image

Published In

The Behavioral and brain sciences

DOI

EISSN

1469-1825

ISSN

0140-525X

Publication Date

November 2025

Volume

48

Start / End Page

e189

Related Subject Headings

  • Stress, Psychological
  • Social Behavior
  • Humans
  • Grooming
  • Experimental Psychology
  • Cooperative Behavior
  • Animals
  • Adaptation, Psychological
  • 5204 Cognitive and computational psychology
  • 5202 Biological psychology