Self-regulation promotes cooperation in social networks

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that self-regulation, when sufficiently strong, can promote widespread cooperation in social networks, even without relying solely on norms or punishment, by activating spontaneous cooperative mechanisms.

Contribution

It introduces an extension of Evolutionary game theory on networks highlighting the role of self-regulation in fostering cooperation, a departure from norm-based explanations.

Findings

Self-regulation can lead to full or partial cooperation.

Few cooperative individuals can catalyze widespread cooperation.

Self-regulation strength determines cooperation emergence.

Abstract

Cooperative behavior in real social dilemmas is often perceived as a phenomenon emerging from norms and punishment. To overcome this paradigm, we highlight the interplay between the influence of social networks on individuals, and the activation of spontaneous self-regulating mechanisms, which may lead them to behave cooperatively, while interacting with others and taking conflicting decisions over time. By extending Evolutionary game theory over networks, we prove that cooperation partially or fully emerges whether self-regulating mechanisms are sufficiently stronger than social pressure. Interestingly, even few cooperative individuals act as catalyzing agents for the cooperation of others, thus activating a recruiting mechanism, eventually driving the whole population to cooperate.