If you’ve been following the news lately, you’ve probably noticed that deal-making has taken center stage. Whether it’s trade agreements between nations, political negotiations over funding, or diplomatic talks that feel more like standoffs, we’re inundated with coverage. And while it’s tempting to view these negotiations as either "successful" or "failed" based on a single offer, that interpretation misrepresents the true nature of how deals are made.

What often gets overlooked—by both the media and the politicians themselves—is just how complex deal-making actually is. Not only does it involve more back-and-forth than most people expect, but the process often mimics patterns we’ve seen throughout the animal kingdom. That’s right—deal-making isn’t uniquely human. The fundamentals of negotiation, compromise, and reciprocity are ancient and widespread, deeply rooted in the behavior of social species. And understanding that might help us feel a bit less anxious when things don’t go as linearly as we’d hoped.

Let’s start with what we usually see on the evening news: a politician announces a “firm” offer. They draw a line in the sand, present their terms, and declare that it’s now up to the other side to accept or reject them. When the other side doesn’t jump to agree—or worse, counters with a different proposal—suddenly commentators speculate about whether the first party is “losing” or “caving.”

But this narrative is misleading. In reality, most offers aren’t truly final. They’re initial positions, framed to look decisive but often intended to invite negotiation. The anxiety that follows—especially when silence,........

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