Social hierarchies, dominance, and status

Webinar organized by Jean Decety, 2021-2022 Paris IAS Fellow, as part of his "Social neuroscience" series

Social hierarchies and social status are ubiquitous across all social species. In humans, social hierarchies emerge early in ontogeny and have a profound impact on how we perceive others. Social status is both dynamic and derived from multiple sources and social dimensions. The relative importance of these dimensions depends on specific characteristics of the individual and the social context. Changes in social status affect the immune system, gene expression, and are reflected in the neuroendocrine system as well as in specific brain circuits.

With the participation of Jean-Paul Demoule (paléontologist) – Université Panthéon Sorbonne.

Recommended readings:

- Cheng, J. T., Tracy, J. L., Foulsham, T., Kingstone, A., & Henrich, J. (2013). Two ways to the top: Evidence that dominance and prestige are distinct yet viable avenues to social rank and influence. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 104(1), 103-125.

- Noonan, M. P., Sallet, J., Mars, R. B., & Rushworth, M. F. (2014). A neural circuit covarying with social hierarchy in macaques. PLoS Biology, 12(9), e1001940.

- Singh-Manoux, A., Marmot, M. G., & Adler, N. E. (2005). Does subjective social status predict health and change in health status better than objective status? Psychosomatic Medicine, 67(6), 855-861.