Randomness enhances cooperation: a resonance type phenomenon in evolutionary games

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that an optimal level of randomness in relationships and decisions can significantly promote cooperation in evolutionary game systems, following a resonance-like mechanism.

Contribution

It reveals a resonance-like phenomenon where randomness optimally enhances cooperation, a novel insight into evolutionary game dynamics.

Findings

Presence of randomness increases cooperation levels.

An optimal amount of randomness maximizes cooperation.

Mechanism resembles coherence resonance in complex systems.

Abstract

We investigate the effect of randomness in both relationships and decisions on the evolution of cooperation. Simulation results show, in such randomness' presence, the system evolves to a more frequency cooperation state than in its absence. Specifically, there is an optimal amount of randomness, which can induce the highest level of cooperation. The mechanism of randomness promoting cooperation resembles a coherence-resonance-like fashion, which could be of particular interest in evolutionary game dynamics in economic, biological and social systems.