This project brings together methods and approaches from anthropology and psychology to study irritation in relation to mechanisms of human cooperation. It will involve research in Finland and two other culturally distinct environments. We will conduct anthropological fieldwork on various factors that shape the experience and expression of irritation. The aim is to understand the role irritation plays in everyday cooperative relationships that vary in closeness. On the basis of this, we will develop experimental tools to systematically compare the connections between irritation and cooperation in different environments. In particular, we are interested in how irritation both maintains human cooperation but can also lead to its disintegration. This research will provide new insights into the emotional side of human cooperation.

2022

2026