When I spotted the words “Game
Theory in Everyday Life” on the cover, I thought that this is probably about
the strategies that can be used in playing games and in sports. The title, “Rock,
Paper, Scissors”, even made me think so. However, as I went through the book, I
realized that I was completely wrong. The book, despite its child-friendly
looking cover, is actually about something deeper. It talks about the
strategies that can be applied in our interaction with other people. It is
actually really cool to find out that game theory is actually associated in
debates, arguments, and quarrels. This
made me become drawn to the book right away.
The
writer, Len Fisher is a scientist who also does not have a strong foundation of
knowledge in game theory. However, what he did was to relate game theory to his
experiences and everyday life activities. So, as a reader who does not have a
firm concept of Game Theory, the writer who also faces the same dilemma was
able use words and examples that are easy to comprehend.
In
the first chapter entitled “Trapped in the Matrix”, the writer highlighted the
Prisoner’s dilemma wherein each one will always end up in a less fortunate situation
if they act independently of each other. If cooperation will be used, there
will still be one person that will be on the losing side. I really like how the
author used his childhood experience to explain the concept of Prisoner’s
dilemma. He stated that whenever he and his brother eat the cake their mother
made, his option was to put the blame to his younger brother to free himself
from the punishment. However, his younger brother will also put the blame to
him. Instead, they will both experience punishment and be trapped in the losing
side. I like his example because I can relate to it except that I have this
kind of petty quarrel with my younger sisters.
In
the second chapter entitled “I cut and you choose”, the writer stated an example
about his childhood days wherein he launched a rocket in his grandmother’s
bedroom. He proposed to his dad that his punishment will just be to give half of
his share of firecrackers with his brother. What he did was to divide the firecrackers
in such a way that whichever his brother will choose, he will still not end up
in the losing side. In such a way, his loss is minimized. As an elder sister, I
have always been in charged with the cutting/division process. I divide the
food in equal parts, sometimes, leaving one part greater than the others. If
they fail to notice that part, I will end up getting it. After all, I will be
in the winning side. However, that seldom happens. They never fail to notice
the big part.
The
third chapter was about the seven deadly dilemmas, namely, the Tragedy of the
Commons, the Free Rider, the Chicken, the Volunteer’s Dilemma, the Battle of
the Sexes, and the Stag Hunt. Among these, I find the Chicken the most
relatable. This can be associated to the case of mamihlapinatapai. Both parties
are afraid to tell what they think and feel towards each other for the fear of
not hearing the same words from the other person. They are afraid to make the
first move and be put in the pitiful side in the end. This is similar to that
of the Chicken wherein the first person that will decide to make a move loses
out.
On
the other hand, the fourth chapter is about the famous game that we played in
our childhood and one of the decision-making strategies that we use nowadays. I
was actually amazed by the thought that the book actually took this childhood
game seriously and even made a serious analysis of it. The author advised that
the making a random choice is the best way to play the game. This randomization
will give rock, paper, and scissors an equal chance of being chosen.
The
fifth chapter discussed about the communication and negotiation being the twin
keys in unlocking these dilemmas in life that we have been experiencing. There
were a lot of biological terms and situations that were mentioned in this
chapter specifically about how animals were able to interact. The bees perform a
waggle dance in front of the other bees to attract their attention and lead
them to the direction of the found nectar. On the other hand, the ants leave
trails of odor for the other ants to follow which will direct them to the found
food source. In humans, we use speech to express and communicate with other people.
These methods of communication allow us to perform negotiation. In the book, it
was mentioned that the author was almost punched by a drunken soccer player.
However, through negotiations, the problem was sorted out.
One
of the most interesting parts of the book for me, as a biology student, was
when oxytocin was used to increase the trust among the students. It was found
out to be actually effective in increasing their trust. I suddenly thought to
myself that I may have probably high amounts of oxytocin in my body because I
have this attitude of trusting other people easily. I think that is, somehow,
not ideal for an individual because there are no more parts left for yourself.
On the other hand, a study was also conducted wherein the bikes were unchained
and displayed. The researchers thought that this study will help the people and
will result to them returning the bikes in the end. However, at the end of the
experiment, no bike was returned. If this type of experiment was done in the
Philippines, surely no bike will ever be returned.
To
wrap it all up, the book was a very good read. Even though I skipped some parts
of the book, I was still able to catch up on the ideas of the author. The author
was successful in making me understand the game theory in the context of life
because of the relatable everyday activities that were used as examples. It made me understand life in a different
perspective. Life is like a two-edged sword. You may end up in the winning side
or in the losing side. However, even though you are in the losing side at this
point of time, it is never too late to use strategies to turn things around. J
No comments:
Post a Comment