Question

What is tend and befriend and how is it important?

Answer 1

Tend-and-befriend: It is a behavior which is shown by some animals, including humans, in response to threat. It means protection of offspring i.e tending and seeking out the social group for mutual defense i.e befriending.

In evolutionary psychology, it is also termed as typical female response to stress. It is important form of stress response. The major benefits of tend and befriend are as follows:

• Protection: It provides protection to the female and her offspring. Not only are groups more likely to overcome a threat than an individual, but a predator is less likely to attack a mother in a group because of the potential aid of the other group members decreases the chances of the predator winning a fight.