Bullying

Why animals put up with bullying.

What's more, well-connected marmots lived longer and reproduced more, even if their social connections put them on the receiving end of aggression. "Interacting with others is valuable, even if the interactions are nasty," Blumstein says.

Actually, this makes sense.

And then this:

Blumstein thinks researchers have focused too much on friendly interactions when they study how groups evolved. "We need to think more about the role of aggression," he says.

Agreed.

When I was younger and would get in trouble for picking on my younger sisters, my defense was often "I'm toughening them up for the real world." Although clearly this was oftentimes a clever excuse for the sadistic pleasures of bugging siblings...there may be some truth in it.