What are the benefits of bullying: Testing an evolutionary hypothesis in three cohorts

First published: August 27, 2021 https://doi.org/10.1111/jora.12675

Commentary

Recent research into the practice of bullying has hypothesized that bullying provides evolutionary benefits to perpetrators in terms of health and reproductive success.

This hypothesis was tested in the National Child Development Study (n = 4998 males, n = 4831 females), the British Cohort Study 1970 (n = 4261 males, n = 4432 females), and the Adolescent Personal Life Study (n = 486 males, n = 521 females).

In this study, bullying was assessed in adolescent (NCDS, BCS70: 16 years old; TRAILS: 14 years old) adult outcomes, with bullies having more children in NCDS and engaging in intercourse early in TRAILS, providing partial support for the evolutionary hypothesis.

In contrast, bullies also reported poorer health in NCDS and BCS70.