Effects of emotion on the evolution of cooperation in a spatial prisoner's dilemma game

Emotion emerges along with individuals' interactions, and numerous experimental studies have shown that emotion plays an important role in individual decision making. However, how emotion affects the evolution of cooperation in structured population is largely unknown. Here we introduce emotion into network reciprocity, where emotion is considered quantifiable and cumulative, and then divide individuals into two types, namely noncompetitive individuals whose social value orientation is mutually beneficial and competitive individuals whose social value orientation is maximizing outcomes for the self. Here, we explore the effects of the proportion of non-competitive individuals and emotional cumulative length on the evolution of cooperation. Simulation results show that the existence of non-competitive individuals promotes cooperation in the system. Furthermore, we also find that emotional cumulative length plays a key role in promoting overall cooperation, but surprisingly, the cooperation rate of competitive individuals peaks at an intermediate value of emotional cumulative length. (C) 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

Research has shown that the presence of non-competitive individuals contributes to promoting cooperation in the system, while emotional cumulative length plays a key role in overall cooperation, with the cooperation rate of competitive individuals peaking at an intermediate value of emotional cumulative length.