The Function of Trading Rituals

Trading rituals have evolved to enhance communication and trust among individuals from different kinship groups. These rituals, such as shaking hands, serve the purpose of showing peaceful intentions and assessing the other person's physical and emotional state. Through these practices, individuals learn to take the perspective of others and build relationships based on trust and understanding, despite not being part of the same close-knit community. These seemingly trivial rituals actually play a crucial role in enabling interactions with strangers and fostering connections in a diverse society.

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