Human Dominance Signals: The Primate in Us

The primate facility for nonverbal expression is largely owed to the evolution of specialized, communicative features conspicuously clustered about the face (Darwin, 1872/1965; Gregory, 1929/1965; Huber, 1930a, 1930b; Rinn, 1984). Non-human primates use the expressive abilities of the face to communicate social dominance information. Among group-living species of monkey and ape, certain facial signals correspond to an animal’s position in a dominance hierarchy (Jolly, 1972; Mazur, 1973; Wilson, 1975). These facial signals help maintain dominance or “status” relationships by permitting species members to forecast probable success or failure during competitive interactions with conspecifics.

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