Relationship Between Self-Reported Storytelling Ability and Reproductive Success Among Three Non-Western Populations in Nigeria, Pakistan, and Papua

IF 1.7 4区医学 Q1 ANTHROPOLOGY

American Journal of Human Biology Pub Date : 2026-03-29 DOI:10.1002/ajhb.70248

Piotr Fedurek, Ike E. Onyishi, Syed Imran Ali Shah, Chijioke K. Ayogu, Slawomir Koziel, Damian C. Ugwu, Piotr Sorokowski

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Abstract

Objectives

Storytelling ability has been linked to social preference and reproductive success in egalitarian hunter-gatherer societies. However, whether storytelling confers similar reproductive benefits in more hierarchical societies remains unclear. This study examined the relationship between self-reported storytelling ability and reproductive success across three non-Western populations characterized by hierarchical social organization.

Methods

Data were collected from adult participants in Nigeria, Pakistan, and Papua (Indonesia). Self-reported storytelling ability was assessed using standardized measures. Reproductive success was indexed by number of children. Zero-inflated Poisson regression models were used to examine associations while controlling for age and sex. Sensitivity analyses were conducted in the Nigerian sample to assess the influence of high-parity individuals.

Results

In the Nigerian sample, storytelling ability was negatively associated with completed fertility in the count component of the model and negatively associated with the probability of childlessness in the zero-inflation component. Only the association with childlessness remained robust to additional covariates. No significant associations between storytelling ability and number of children were observed in the Pakistani or Papuan samples.

Conclusions

The association between storytelling ability and reproductive success appears context-dependent and may differ between egalitarian and hierarchical societies. Findings suggest that storytelling ability may be more strongly related to the likelihood of parenthood than to completed fertility in certain socioecological settings.

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尼日利亚、巴基斯坦和巴布亚三个非西方人群自我报告的讲故事能力与生殖成功率的关系

目的：在平等的狩猎采集社会中，讲故事的能力与社会偏好和繁殖成功有关。然而，讲故事是否在等级森严的社会中也能带来类似的繁殖益处尚不清楚。本研究调查了三个以等级社会组织为特征的非西方人群中自我报告的讲故事能力与繁殖成功率之间的关系。方法：数据来自尼日利亚、巴基斯坦和巴布亚（印度尼西亚）的成年参与者。自我报告的讲故事能力用标准化的方法进行评估。生育成功的指标是孩子的数量。在控制年龄和性别的情况下，使用零膨胀泊松回归模型来检查相关性。在尼日利亚样本中进行了敏感性分析，以评估高平价个体的影响。结果：在尼日利亚样本中，讲故事能力在模型的计数成分中与完成生育负相关，在零通货膨胀成分中与无子女概率负相关。只有与无子女的关联对其他协变量保持稳健。在巴基斯坦和巴布亚的样本中，没有观察到讲故事能力和孩子数量之间的显著关联。结论：讲故事能力和繁殖成功之间的联系似乎与环境有关，在平等主义和等级社会中可能有所不同。研究结果表明，在某些社会生态环境中，讲故事的能力可能与为人父母的可能性关系更大，而不是与完成生育的可能性关系更大。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

American Journal of Human Biology 生物-生物学

CiteScore

4.80

自引率

13.80%

发文量

124

审稿时长

4-8 weeks

期刊介绍： The American Journal of Human Biology is the Official Journal of the Human Biology Association. The American Journal of Human Biology is a bimonthly, peer-reviewed, internationally circulated journal that publishes reports of original research, theoretical articles and timely reviews, and brief communications in the interdisciplinary field of human biology. As the official journal of the Human Biology Association, the Journal also publishes abstracts of research presented at its annual scientific meeting and book reviews relevant to the field. The Journal seeks scholarly manuscripts that address all aspects of human biology, health, and disease, particularly those that stress comparative, developmental, ecological, or evolutionary perspectives. The transdisciplinary areas covered in the Journal include, but are not limited to, epidemiology, genetic variation, population biology and demography, physiology, anatomy, nutrition, growth and aging, physical performance, physical activity and fitness, ecology, and evolution, along with their interactions. The Journal publishes basic, applied, and methodologically oriented research from all areas, including measurement, analytical techniques and strategies, and computer applications in human biology. Like many other biologically oriented disciplines, the field of human biology has undergone considerable growth and diversification in recent years, and the expansion of the aims and scope of the Journal is a reflection of this growth and membership diversification. The Journal is committed to prompt review, and priority publication is given to manuscripts with novel or timely findings, and to manuscripts of unusual interest.