Strategies’ frequency and total cooperation level as a function of the guilt cost, γ. Credit: Journal of the Royal Society Interface (2025). DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2025.0164 Guilt is a highly advantageous quality for society as a whole. It might not prevent initial wrongdoings, but guilt allows humans to judge their own prior judgments as harmful and prevents them from happening again. The internal distress caused by feelings of guilt often—but not always—resul