THE EVOLUTION OF MAGNANIMITY When Is It Better To Give Than To Receive? James L. Boone University of New Mexico Conspicuous consumption associated with status reinforcement behavior can be explained in terms of costly signaling, or strategic handicap theory, first articulated by Zahavi and later formalized by Grafen. A theory is introduced which suggests that the evolutionary raison d'etre of status reinforcement behavior lies not only in its effects on lifetime reproduc- tive success, but in its positive effects on the probability of survival through infrequent, unpredictable demographic bottlenecks. Under some circumstances, such "wasteful" displays may take the form of displays of altruistic behavior and generosity on the part of high status individuals, in that it signals the ability to bear the short-term costs of being generous or "cooperative," while at the same time reinforcing the long-term bene- fits of higher status. KEY WORDS: Conspicuous consumption; Reproductive success; Status reinforcement; Strategic handicap principle. When goods increase, they increase that eat them: and what good is there to the owners thereof, saving the beholding of them with their eyes? Ecclesiastes 5:11 Human behavioral ecology is concerned with explaining variation in fit- ness affecting behaviors under varying environmental conditions. In in- vestigating a particular class of behavior, such as foraging, a standard Received: September 15, 1997; accepted October 3, 1997. Address all correspondence to James L. Boone, Human Evolutionary Ecology Program, Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131. E-maih jboone@unm.edu Copyright 91998 by Walter de Gruyter, Inc., New York Human Nature, Vol. 9, No. 1, pp. 1-21. 1045-6767/98/$1.00+.10