Formidability and alliance politics in humans and nonhuman species

Abstract

Here an overview of the role of traits related to dominance in ‘alliance politics’ in other species and humans of diverse cultural backgrounds is presented. The importance of alliances from the point of view of evolutionary biology and the technology used to investigate the formation of preferences for other people based on minimal information such as their facial appearance is also presented. A research agenda for future work in this area outlining the importance of understanding how we might seek (or avoid) a dominant-looking individual as an ally then forms the foundation for two specific recommendations for further research. The use of new media presents novel challenges for how we evaluate politicians based on both first impression judgements and our own allegiances.