The Role of Game Theory in Love/Relationships
Relationships are something that many people experience on a day to day basis. Surprisingly as common as this experience is it too is something that can be seen through the lens of game theory. The way a person interacts in a relationship is strictly based on that of their partner/significant other meaning that there are payoff strategies for both people. One of the first examples of this in the article by BBC is how one treats a relationship based on their thoughts of the state of it. Specifically they mention that if both people believe that a relationship is going to be short the probability of either person cheating would be higher due to a greater payoff on both sides. Similarly if both players saw longevity in their relationship then cooperation would be higher on both sides.
Game theory could also be applied to how a person flirts/ interacts with others while in or out of a relationship. In this article the human male is compared to different minded male-lizards in regards to their mating lives. The three categories for men/male lizards are men who are legally polygamous and sexually active, men who are legally monogamous and sexually active with multiple partners, and lastly men who are monogamous and active with soley their partner. When looking at this in a strategical viewpoint the monogamous individual beats the polygamous individual because the longer one is with their partner the more they understand how fertile they are and also they have a higher chance of becoming a long-lasting future partner(this goes for any gender). However unfortunately the person that wins the game overall (in some cultures) is the one that is monogamous and cheats “the sneaker”. Not only do they understand their partner but they also beat out the people that are attached to one person. Many people don’t admit to this being that it could be seen as morally incorrect but in a game theory mindset they receive the highest payoff compared to everyone else. A recent study has shown that 42% of users on tinder are “sneakers” and that is their dominant strategy. Ultimately these studies have shown that it is important to make sure that you and your partner are on the same page and value the relationship to the same extent. This is crucial because if your partner is in a game theory mindset it could result in you being severely hurt while they receive a great payoff.
Article: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20191217-how-game-theory-can-help-improve-your-luck-at-dating