Work

Human and chimpanzee leaders are more risk-loving

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Leadership and risk-taking are often assumed to be interrelated, but this assumption has rarely been investigated empirically in humans or other species. Analyzing data from the German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) and observer reports from two African chimpanzee sanctuaries, this study finds that risk preferences are positively associated with leadership status in humans and with hierarchical rank in chimpanzees. The link between leadership and willingness to take risks was much stronger in chimpanzees than in humans. Risk preference also correlated positively with average income in humans and was generally higher in males than females in both species. Understanding leadership and hierarchical structures through an evolutionary lens is crucial. The present results suggest that risk-taking is a fundamental aspect of leadership that may have deep evolutionary roots. A stronger connection between leadership and risk-taking in chimpanzees may be attributable to cultural mechanisms for the transmission of leadership in human societies.

Source: The Leadership Quarterly

DOI: 10.1016/j.leaqua.2026.101992

Authors: Lou M. Haux, Kamil Fulawka, Gert G. Wagner, Ralph Hertwig, Esther Herrmann

Institutions: Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Technische Universität Dresden, University of Portsmouth

Language: English

Topic: Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior

Subfield: Experimental and Cognitive Psychology

Field: Psychology

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $4,330

Funders: Eli Lilly and Company, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Max-Planck-Institut für Bildungsforschung