Non-instrumental actions can communicate roles and relationships, not just rituals.
Ashley J ThomasSetayesh RadkaniMichelle S HungPublished in: The Behavioral and brain sciences (2022)
Actions that do not have instrumental goals can communicate social goals that are not rituals. Many non-instrumental actions such as bowing or kissing communicate a commitment to or roles in dyadic relationships. What is unclear is when people understand such actions in terms of ritual and when they understand them in terms of relationships.
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