This paper investigates the emotional and social outcomes of water sharing within societies and suggests water sharing is a unique reciprocity act that results in negative emotional outcomes, rather than the usual prestige and rank. A questionnaire regarding water sharing and receiving was carried out across 20 sites, targeting 250 houses per community. The authors found that both water sharing and receiving resulted in more distress and conflict than those who shared less.

The article examines whether cultural groups tend to use supernatural beliefs more to explain natural phenomena or social phenomena. Analysis of ethnographic text from 114 diverse societies reveals that supernatural explanations are more common for natural phenomena, consistent with the theory that humans tend to perceive intent and agency in the natural world. However, supernatural explanations of social phenomena were more prevalent in urbanized societies with greater social complexity and anonymity. The study highlights how people use supernatural beliefs to explain their world and how this varies across small-scale and urbanized communities.

This chapter examines the variables that are associated with the evil eye belief cross-culturally. Results suggest that the evil eye belief is significantly associated with various socioeconomic and demographic variables. All hypotheses are supported.

This paper tests the proximity hypothesis (used by Murdock [1949]) which posits that residential propinquity will be associated with parent-in-law avoidance and kin terminology. Several operational hypotheses are tested but none are supported. The author suggests that this finding may cast doubt other hypotheses that underlie Murdock’s findings, such as the participation hypothesis.

This paper is an investigation into the relationship between social differentiation as a proxy for societal 'development' and various categories of crime. A positive relationship is interpreted by the author as empirical cross-cultural support for Durkheim's theory that these two factors will increase together as parallel processes of 'sociocultural evolution'.

Textor summarizes cross-cultural findings on polygyny pertaining to cultural, environmental, psychological, and social phenomena.

This book investigates reproductive rituals in preindustrial societies. Major theories are discussed, and cross-cultural tests of several variables (fraternal interest groups, menarcheal ceremonies, puberty ceremonies, residence, circumcision, birth practices, segregation practices, etc.) are conducted.