Science reveals the secret to winning rock-paper-scissors

Research by a group of international scientists shows that when playing rock-paper-scissors, people tend to let emotions get in the way and not act rationally.

In the findings, published on February 6 in the journal Scientific Reports, scientists observed how players reacted throughout the game when facing off against a computer-generated opponent. They found that even if players had a good strategy at the beginning, they were still affected by the outcome of each round and began to show erratic behavior, according toInternational Business Times.

Emotions greatly influence the choices players make each time they play rock-paper-scissors. Photo: Inquisitr.

Analyzing players' reactions at different stages in the game, the team found that they acted according to a strategy called "win-loss carryover," meaning players would repeat the results of previous wins.

If the player draws or loses, they will change their choice in the next game. Negative experiences of losing will definitely make them choose a lower level. For example, if they lose when rolling rock, the next time they roll scissors, the object may be destroyed by rocks. Conversely, if the player draws with the computer, the chance of upgrading in the next round will be higher.

Since all three choices were relative, resulting in a win in one round but a loss in another, the scientists concluded that the only rational decision was to use each choice an equal number of times at random. This is what the program wrote for the virtual players on the computer.

However, in this study, players tended to show hammer more often. Since leaves beat hammers, showing leaves more often in this situation may help players win.

Because the study sheds light on decision-making in non-cooperative environments, researchers believe that emotional individual behavior is quite common in economics and politics.

According to VNE