Warlike girls are no less boys

Girls are no less competitive than the boys, only that they use more refined tactics.

While boys often openly confront, girls adopt boycott tactics.

To understand the differences in the way children compete, Joyce Benenson of Emmanuel University in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, divided 87 4-year-olds into three-gender groups. In each experiment, each group will receive 1, 2 or 3 animals as prizes

Boys and girls behave the same when there are 2 or 3 animals to distribute. But the difference is clear when each group has only one animal.

(Photo: Getty Images)

Boys often demand, grab it, or chase the boy who owns the reward. In contrast, girls punish lucky people by boycotting, talking badly on their backs or avoiding their faces.

Benenson said that these tricks show that girls have higher jealousy among peers than boys.

Melissa Emery Thompson of New Mexico University in Albuquerque, USA, also identified the results to help eliminate the misconception that women are less competitive than men. The difference also explains why men often cooperate better in groups, while girls often pair and only maintain a few close friendships.