ALTRUISTIC COOPERATION DURING FORAGING BY THE ACHE, AND THE EVOLVED HUMAN PREDISPOSITION TO COOPERATE

This paper presents quantitative data on altruistic cooperation during food acquisition by Ache foragers. Cooperative activities are defined as those that entail a cost of time and energy to the donor but primarily lead to an increase in the foraging success of the recipient. Data show that Ache men and women spend about 10 % of all foraging time engaged in altruis-tic cooperation on average, and that on some days they may spend more than 50 % of their foraging time in such activities. The most time-consum-ing cooperative activity for both sexes is helping during the pursuit of game animals, apattern that is probably linked to the widespread sharing of game by Ache foragers. Cooperative food acquisition and subsequent food redistribution i hunter-gatherer societies are critical behaviors that probably helped shape universal, evolved, cooperative t ndencies that are well illustrated in modem experimental economics