Heterogeneous networks do not promote cooperation when humans play a Prisoner’s Dilemma

• Published in: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS Vol. 109; no. 32; pp. 12922 - 12926
• Main Authors: Gracia-Lázaro, Carlos, Ferrer, Alfredo, Ruiz, Gonzalo, Tarancón, Alfonso, Cuesta, José A, Sánchez, Angel, Moreno, Yamir
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States National Academy of Sciences 07.08.2012; National Acad Sciences
• Subjects: Adolescent; Behavior; Biological Sciences; Connectivity; Cooperation; Cooperative Behavior; Evolutionary games; Game Theory; Games, Experimental; Histograms; Humans; Internet; motivation; Neighborhoods; Population structure; prediction; Prisoners dilemma; Public goods; Ridges; Social Environment; Social networks; Social Sciences; Spain; Spain

It is not fully understood why we cooperate with strangers on a daily basis. In an increasingly global world, where interaction networks and relationships between individuals are becoming more complex, different hypotheses have been put forward to explain the foundations of human cooperation on a la...