Very high ultimatum-game offers are refused where accepting gifts creates onerous debts.

Evidence

From an anthropological point of view, it is not surprising therefore that the refusal of very high offers should have been particularly observed in small traditional New Guinean societies such as the Au and the Gnau, where accepting a gift creates onerous debts and inferiority until the debt is repaid. In these societies, large gifts which may be hard to reciprocate are often refused (Henrich et al. 2005; Tracer 2003). — Nicolas Baumard, A mutualistic approach to morality, 170

Categorization

• SEED: The refusal of large gifts in Au and Gnau societies as a lens on generosity-as-debt is a strong essay angle on mutual obligation.