Nash equilibria in human relationships : r/slatestarcodex
A Nash equilibrium is a state of equilibrium between two parties in which one only party changing their behavior will not make things better for that party. It will require both parties to change their behavior simultaneously to make things better for both. It might surprise the reader to know that the author of this blog has had some experience with societal relationships; even some with the opposite gender. My college girlfriend and I started on a good note, and then due to mistakes made with time, things became more complex. Towards the end of our relationship, we settled upon an equilibrium in which we were both rude, uncompromising and unhelpful towards each other. Let me try and explain why this was a Nash equilibrium. When one of us would feel bad about how things had turned out, and would try to be nicer so as to turn back time and return to how things were, the other would be unaware of such intentions, and only mock the other person for being fake and artificial. This would,