Editing Guilt (emotion) (section)

==== Evolutionary theories ====
Some [[evolutionary psychology|evolutionary psychologists]] theorize that guilt and [[shame]] helped maintain beneficial relationships,<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Sznycer |first1=Daniel |last2=Tooby |first2=John |last3=Cosmides |first3=Leda |last4=Porat |first4=Roni |last5=Shalvi |first5=Shaul |last6=Halperin |first6=Eran |title=Shame closely tracks the threat of devaluation by others, even across cultures |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |date=8 March 2016 |volume=113 |issue=10 |pages=2625–2630 |doi=10.1073/pnas.1514699113|pmid=26903649 |pmc=4790975 |bibcode=2016PNAS..113.2625S |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Sznycer |first1=Daniel |last2=Xygalatas |first2=Dimitris |last3=Agey |first3=Elizabeth |last4=Alami |first4=Sarah |last5=An |first5=Xiao-Fen |last6=Ananyeva |first6=Kristina I. |last7=Atkinson |first7=Quentin D. |last8=Broitman |first8=Bernardo R. |last9=Conte |first9=Thomas J. |last10=Flores |first10=Carola |last11=Fukushima |first11=Shintaro |last12=Hitokoto |first12=Hidefumi |last13=Kharitonov |first13=Alexander N. |last14=Onyishi |first14=Charity N. |last15=Onyishi |first15=Ike E. |last16=Romero |first16=Pedro P. |last17=Schrock |first17=Joshua M. |last18=Snodgrass |first18=J. Josh |last19=Sugiyama |first19=Lawrence S. |last20=Takemura |first20=Kosuke |last21=Townsend |first21=Cathryn |last22=Zhuang |first22=Jin-Ying |last23=Aktipis |first23=C. Athena |last24=Cronk |first24=Lee |last25=Cosmides |first25=Leda |last26=Tooby |first26=John |title=Cross-cultural invariances in the architecture of shame |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |date=25 September 2018 |volume=115 |issue=39 |pages=9702–9707 |doi=10.1073/pnas.1805016115|pmid=30201711 |pmc=6166838 |bibcode=2018PNAS..115.9702S |s2cid=52183009 |doi-access=free }}</ref> such as [[reciprocal altruism]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Pallanti |first1=Stefano |last2=Quercioli |first2=Leonardo |title=Shame and Psychopathology |journal=CNS Spectrums |date=August 2000 |volume=5 |issue=8 |pages=28–43 |doi=10.1017/s1092852900007525 |pmid=18192938 |s2cid=23493449 }}</ref> If a person feels guilty when he harms another or fails to reciprocate kindness, he is more likely not to harm others or become too selfish. In this way, he reduces the chances of retaliation by members of his tribe, and thereby increases his survival prospects, and those of the tribe or group. As with any other emotion, guilt can be [[Psychological manipulation|manipulated]] to control or influence others. As highly social animals living in large, relatively stable groups, humans need ways to deal with conflicts and events in which they inadvertently or purposefully harm others. If someone causes harm to another, and then feels guilt and demonstrates regret and sorrow, the person harmed is likely to forgive. Thus, guilt makes it possible to forgive, and helps hold the social group together.