Degree Variance and Emotional Strategies Catalyze Cooperation in Dynamic Signed Networks

TL;DR

This paper investigates how degree variance and emotional strategies influence the emergence and sustainability of cooperation in dynamic signed networks through agent-based simulations.

Contribution

It demonstrates that degree heterogeneity and sign-dependent emotional strategies significantly promote cooperation in evolving signed networks.

Findings

Degree heterogeneity enlarges conditions for cooperation survival.

Sign-dependent emotional strategies catalyze cooperation.

Results consistent across different network initializations.

Abstract

We study the problem of the emergence of cooperation in dynamic signed networks where agent strategies coevolve with relational signs and network topology. Running simulations based on an agent-based model, we compare results obtained in a regular lattice initialization with those obtained on a comparable random network initialization. We show that the increased degree heterogeneity at the outset enlarges the parametric conditions in which cooperation survives in the long run. Furthermore, we show how the presence of sign-dependent emotional strategies catalyze the evolution of cooperation with both network topology initializations.