Nature Communications (Jul 2020)

Direct and indirect punishment of norm violations in daily life

  • Catherine Molho,
  • Joshua M. Tybur,
  • Paul A. M. Van Lange,
  • Daniel Balliet

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-17286-2
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 11, no. 1
pp. 1 – 9

Abstract

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People regularly punish norm violations using gossip and direct confrontation. Here, the authors show that the use of gossip versus direct confrontation is context sensitive, with confrontation used more when punishers have more to gain, and gossip used more when the costs of retaliation loom large.