Evolution of interactions and cooperation in the spatial prisoner's dilemma game

TL;DR

This paper investigates how the evolution of cooperation in the spatial prisoner's dilemma is influenced by the ability of players to form new interactions, highlighting the importance of selection criteria and interaction limits.

Contribution

It introduces a simple coevolutionary rule showing that selecting successful players and limiting new interactions promote cooperation.

Findings

Selection favoring successful players enhances cooperation.

Restricting the number of new interactions is beneficial.

Preferential selection of top players promotes cooperation regardless of parameters.

Abstract

We study the evolution of cooperation in the spatial prisoner's dilemma game where players are allowed to establish new interactions with others. By employing a simple coevolutionary rule entailing only two crucial parameters, we find that different selection criteria for the new interaction partners as well as their number vitally affect the outcome of the game. The resolution of the social dilemma is most probable if the selection favors more successful players and if their maximally attainable number is restricted. While the preferential selection of the best players promotes cooperation irrespective of game parametrization, the optimal number of new interactions depends somewhat on the temptation to defect. Our findings reveal that the "making of new friends" may be an important activity for the successful evolution of cooperation, but also that partners must be selected carefully and their number limited.