Game theory developed in the 1940s, when scientists discovered that the mathematical theories that work for economic interactions could apply to social interactions between humans. Feel guilty about taking money from your kids? Use chores as currency instead. Grace wins the bid because she had the highest bid, but she only has to pay Mom $11 – Jack’s bid plus a dollar. Grace writes down $12, Jack writes down $10 and Chloe writes down $5. Imagine Grace, Jack and Chloe all want to control the TV remote. And if Allie wants Henry’s stick more than her books, she’s happy to make the trade too.įor more abstract treasures and decisions – like who gets to name the family pet and where to go on the next family vacation – Zollman suggests using the theory of auction to resolve disputes.Įxample 3: The sealed-bid, second-price auctionĪ sealed-bid, second-price auction works for household treasures that can’t be divided. If Henry wants Allie’s books more than his own lacrosse stick, he’s eager to make the trade. Imagine that Henry and Allie agree to a plan: Henry will give Allie his lacrosse stick in exchange for Allie’s Divergent series box set. Named after mathematician John Nash of A Beautiful Mind fame, a trade between kids best illustrates this example.
Game theory even explains self-enforcing contracts through the lens of childhood: One of the original game-theory principles suggests that by letting Simon cut the cake and giving Ava first choice of the two pieces, Simon is motivated to cut the cake as evenly as possible.īeyond sibling spats, game theory can apply to other relationship divides, like deciding which friend gets to use the cool sleeping bag at a slumber party or which parent is on duty with the sick child for the night. Simon and his sister Ava have one piece of cake left to share. The book promises to give harried parents a home-field advantage by divulging how to divide household valuables such as shared bedrooms, time with parents and favorite toys. Kevin Zollman, a game theorist and associate professor of philosophy at Carnegie Mellon University, recently wrote “The Game Theorist’s Guide to Parenting: How the Science of Strategic Thinking Can Help You Deal with the Toughest Negotiators You Know – Your Kids” with co-author Paul Raeburn. Now, a local academic is applying classic game theory to that most primal and divisive of human conflicts – sibling rivalry.
For decades, psychologists have used mathematical theories to understand tense social interactions from business negotiations to divorce settlements to peace treaties.
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