{
  "id": 9843810,
  "title": "Why sex differences in throwing cannot be explained by socialization alone",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/25/why-sex-differences-in-throwing-cannot-be-explained-by-socialization",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-09-25T22:00:34.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "PsyPost",
    "slug": "psypost",
    "url": "https://www.psypost.org/why-sex-differences-in-throwing-cannot-be-explained-by-socialization-alone/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Sex differences in overhand throwing cannot be attributed solely to socialization, contends a commentary in Evolutionary Psychological Science. Researchers argue that both biological predispositions and experience contribute to the development of this difference. Evolutionary biology, behavioral genetics, and psychology treat behavior as the result of a complex interplay among genes, hormones, development, learning, and the social environment. Despite this, some explanations still attribute sex differences entirely to socialization. Robert O. Deaner and Michael P. Lombardo address this debate through a discussion of the significant gender gap in overhand throwing, which reaches roughly two standard deviations by adulthood. The authors respond to Anne Fausto-Sterling's critique of their earlier proposal that throwing ability reflects adaptations shaped by stronger ancestral selection on males. They argue that social experiences and opportunities for ball play cannot fully account for the development of the throwing gap. Deaner and Lombardo maintain that their evolutionary account does not solely rely on the \"Man the Hunter\" image, but rather emphasizes conflict between ancestral groups, especially warfare, as the primary selection pressure. They also point to the substantial sexual division of labor in hunting, with men generally hunting more often and obtaining more meat. The authors also cite evidence from javelin throwing performance, prenatal androgen exposure, anatomical differences, and children's performance in societies with varying throwing opportunities. They challenge Fausto-Sterling's observations of ten infants, arguing that the study does not provide sufficient evidence to establish that maternal interaction is responsible for their differing engagement with balls. The authors emphasize that adaptations emerge through developmental processes and that social experience does not fully account for a trait. They acknowledge that some lines of evidence, including targeting research, come from limited studies and that available quantitative hunting data may not represent all foraging societies. Ultimately, the commentary argues that a comprehensive explanation of behavioral sex differences in overhand throwing must consider the joint influence of biological predispositions and social experience.",
  "summary": "Is the pronounced gap in throwing ability between men and women purely a product of childhood socialization? A new commentary argues that evolutionary biology and social experience actually work hand-in-hand to shape this distinct sex difference.",
  "key_points": [
    "Sex differences in overhand throwing not due to socialization alone",
    "Significant gender gap in throwing ability reaches two standard deviations by adulthood",
    "Evolutionary account emphasizes ancestral selection pressures, not \"Man the Hunter\""
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}