Highly dominant individuals are endorsed as leaders when threat of conflict and disorder is high, but not when it is low

A new social experiment discovered that conflict within a group makes people more likely to support dominant leaders. Highly dominant individuals, who tend to punish others, are endorsed as leaders when the group faces significant conflict, but not when conflict is low. The study was published inAdaptive Human Behavior and Physiology. Throughout history, tough times have seen strong dominant leaders rise to power. For instance, in the ancient Roman Republic, emergency situations allowed the appointment of temporary dictators. Wars, occupations, and other threats to nations have often led to do...