When to Hug it Out: Men’s Expectations for Postconflict Reconciliation Following Conflicts with Physically Strong Opponents

Physical conflict has been historically prevalent through human evolution, with physically strong men possessing an advantage in such encounters. To reduce the likelihood of incurring continued costs of conflict, opponents may engage in postconflict reconciliation to secure valuable social relationships. We conducted two studies to identify how formidability of male combatants informs expectations of reconciliatory behaviors from third- (Study 1) and first-person (Study 2) perspectives. Participants indicated their expectations of respect expectations after wins and losses in fights with physically strong and weak men. Strong targets were consistently expected to receive more respect following conflict. Nonetheless, male perceivers intended to display more respect against strong opponents regardless of fight outcome. Men’s upper body strength provides an important cue in shaping alliances for men, particularly when the potential costs of continued conflict are salient.