"Gifts" as a tool for showing superiority disguised as goodwill? The University of Tokyo mathematically deciphers power struggles from the "pressure to reciprocate": Innovative Tech

Researchers at the University of Tokyo built a model based on gift frequency and return-gift rates.

Simulations showed that intensified gifting can widen economic and status gaps over time.

The model also suggests that competitive giving can produce dominant figures and concentrated power structures.

The study reframes gift exchange as a contest for status, not just an act of goodwill.