How 'winner and loser effects' impact social rank in animals—and humans
This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:
Research has shown that in many animals, the winners of a fight are more likely to win subsequent contests, while the losers tend to lose their following fights. In experiments where male stickleback fish were randomly introduced to another fish, 65% of the winning fish won the second match, while all losing fish lost the second contest.
Such winner and loser effects can greatly influence individual behavior and fitness. This effect happens in humans as well. In "Winner and Loser Effects and Social Rank in Humans," recently published in The Quarterly Review of Biology, authors Noah M. T. Smith and Reuven Dukas provide a narrative review of the relevant similarities and distinctions between nonhumans and humans to assess the causes and consequences of winner and loser effects in humans.
The authors review winner and loser effects and their adaptive significance in nonhumans, including chimpanzees and fruit flies, and review additional factors that influence social rank in nonhumans and humans. The two-way interactions between social rank and winner and loser effects can alter cognition and behavior in various domains.
