The evolution of zero-sum and positive-sum worldviews.

ABSTRACT: People and cultures differ in the extent to which they view the world as a zero-sum environment (where one person's gain is another's loss) or a positive-sum environment (where certain actions can benefit everyone). These beliefs shape individuals' willingness to work, invest, collaborate, or show hostility toward out-groups, and accept or reject various social policies. We model dyadic interactions in a heterogeneous population where individuals biased toward a zero-sum worldview are more likely to invest in competition, while those biased toward a positive-sum worldview are more likely to invest in cooperation. The environment alternates stochastically between cooperative and competitive states. Without social influence, the more accurate worldview yields higher utilities and spreads thr

SUBMITTER: Gavrilets S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12358829 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature