The evolution of zero-sum and positive-sum worldviews

Area of Science:

• Social psychology
• Cultural evolution
• Behavioral economics

Background:

• Societies exhibit varying degrees of zero-sum (one's gain is another's loss) versus positive-sum (mutual benefit) worldviews.
• These worldviews influence individual decisions regarding work, investment, collaboration, and social policy acceptance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To model how zero-sum and positive-sum worldviews interact within a population under varying environmental conditions.
• To investigate the impact of social influence mechanisms, including assortative matching, peer conformity, and cultural authorities, on worldview propagation.
• To identify conditions that lead to cultural evolutionary mismatch, where beliefs are misaligned with the environment.

Main Methods:

• Agent-based modeling of dyadic interactions in a heterogeneous population.
• Simulation of stochastic environmental shifts between cooperative and competitive states.
• Analysis of social influence dynamics: assortative matching, peer conformity, and authority-driven belief alteration.

Main Results:

• In the absence of social influence, the more accurate worldview (aligned with the environment) prevails.
• Assortative matching can favor positive-sum worldviews, even if less probable.
• Peer conformity and authority interventions can lead to the persistence of inaccurate worldviews and cultural evolutionary mismatch, especially when authorities promote suboptimal beliefs.

Conclusions:

• Social influence mechanisms significantly impact the persistence and spread of zero-sum versus positive-sum worldviews.
• Cultural evolutionary mismatch is a plausible outcome, driven by conformity and authority, particularly in environments with strong social pressures.
• Understanding these dynamics is crucial for addressing societal polarization and promoting adaptive cultural change.