Rationality & Society

Is #morality "rational"?

Even "broad" #RationalChoice theory doesn't fully resolve a paradox: Cheating can be seen as rational, but following a "Never lie" norm can’t 🤔

Palacio-Vera offers a way out: Reconsidering what’s rational and combining theoretical frameworks.

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Do #prosocial people sustain #cooperation?

Bouman & Dijkstra @rug.nl ran an #experiment with repeated #SocialDilemma where enough resourceful players needed to invest in #PublicGood.

Takeaway: When others don’t contribute, altruists quickly learn to free-ride.

#OpenAccess: doi.org/10.1177/1043...

THE EVOLUTION OF FAIRNESS NORMS - Ken G. Binmore, 1998 The evidence is strong that modern hunter-gatherer societies approximate the Marxian ideal in which each contributes according to ability and receives according...

Modern hunter-gatherers live by “to each according to need” rule, even though it’s not enforced by leaders or police. Why? Is #fairness ⚖️ a ‘natural duty’?

Binmore traces the #evolution of this #SocialNorm back to prehistoric times, when care and resources were shared among kin.

#ThrowbackThursday

Academic housekeeper (she/her)

With #EqualPay and no #GenderInequality in workload, is #labor #discrimination in #academia overcome?

No, say Yabut & Arapoc. Low-promotable academic housework – committee, community, admin – falls more on the shoulders of married women.

🔗 doi.org/10.1177/1043...

“Bregretful” from the start 🇬🇧

Even before the UK left the EU, some #Brexit supporters were rethinking their vote.

@sofizqsan.bsky.social & Kara trace who changed their minds in 2017–2019 — and what that says about using #referendums to settle complex issues.

#OpenAccess: doi.org/10.1177/1043...

Read in November’25 issue:

🇬🇧 Who regretted #Brexit?
🎓 What gender are “ #academic housekeepers”?
🤝 When do #altruists turn free-riders?
🤔 What explains #morality?
🧠 Does #TheoryOfMind hinder #cooperation?

#BehavioralScience #GameTheory @journals.sagepub.com

🔗 journals.sagepub.com/toc/rssa/37/4

Can Emotionality and Rationality be Reconciled? - LYNN SMITH-LOVIN, 1993 Economists invoke emotions narrowly to solve commitment problems; sociologists view emotions as a more pervasive basic feature of social life. A complete approa...

So what are #emotions?

🔨 Tools that rational agents use for #strategic calculation?
🧲 Or forces that shape #social life — directing attention, defining what counts as #rational #choice?

Smith-Lovin argues that emotions frame rationality itself. 🎞

🔗 doi.org/10.1177/1043...

Emotions as Strategic Signals - Don Ross, Paul Dumouchel, 2004 In this article, we ask how much, if anything, of Robert Frank’s (1988, 2004) theory of emotions as evolved strategic commitment devices can sur...

Frank saw #emotions as adding weight to promises and threats — enabling #cooperation in #PrisonersDilemma. But his #GameTheory model was criticized.

Ross & Dumouchel reframe emotions as #SocialSignals that help us coordinate on “which game” we’re playing.

🔗 journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1...

"I don't tip because society says I have to”?

In the paper following the renowned book “Passions Within Reason”, Frank explains why we commit to tipping and other #SocialNorms that go against our #SelfInterest.

Opening #ThrowbackThursday 🧵 on #emotions in #rationality:
🔗 doi.org/10.1177/1043...

When someone faints on the street, 🧑🏽‍🤝‍🧑🏻 several people can jump to help — even if just one person's help is needed. But how to make sure there is at least one #volunteer among #bystanders?

Konrad shows how team discussion can solve the volunteer's #dilemma.

Read #OpenAccess: doi.org/10.1177/1043...

⚔️ Is #Germany split 50/50 on #immigration and Islam?

Windzio finds: “conservative-skeptical” and “open-trusting” Germans aren’t opposites in how they think of #minorities or state institutions — but their political views reflect different #moral values.

#polarization

🔗 doi.org/10.1177/1043...

The Effect of Structural Embeddedness on the Division of Household Labor: A Game-Theoretic Model Using a Network Approach - Yoosik Youm, Edward O. Laumann, 2003 Various economic and sociological approaches have attempted to solve the puzzle of persistent gender inequality in the division of housework, but...

#PayGap and unequal division of household labor both contribute to a vicious circle of #GenderInequality.

Youm & Laumann highlight a surprising factor that can break it: partners’ overlapping friendship circles.

#ThrowbackThursday on #EqualPayDay:

🔗 doi.org/10.1177/1043...

Launching a #startup and worried your #crowdfunding campaign might fall short? Ask for less — lower targets often get overfunded 💰. Why?

Barrachina & Jiménez-Fernández explain the equity crowdfunding paradox with #GameTheory.

🔗 doi.org/10.1177/1043...

Caplan’s "rational irrationality" has faced many critiques. Why are people #rational in daily life but irrational on #election day 🗳️?

In defense, Manor argues that political beliefs differ from other ones in two key ways — how they connect to action and how we form them.

🔗 doi.org/10.1177/1043...

Evergreens:

📣 Why people embrace #populism?

💬 "the general public tends to see `major problems' that experts doubt are problems at all"

🤥 Do populist politicians really believe what they say?

💬 "[electoral] competition <...> selects for politicians who genuinely share [their voters'] biases"

The Logic of Collective Belief - Bryan Caplan, 2003 Many political failure arguments implicitly assume that voters are irrational. This article argues that this assumption is both theoretically and...

If better policies are out there, sticking to your guns is irrational… right? 🤔

Wrong, says Caplan. It’s rational to be biased in politics — when your vote doesn’t change the outcome, why bother scrutinizing beliefs?

#ThrowbackThursday on #VoterBehavior, #PublicChoice, and rational irrationality:

What’s common between USB 💻 and birthday candles 🎂?

Industry standards & social norms are results of consensus 🤝. How to reach it?

Renzini’s #GameTheory #ABM shows: choosing popular partners in #SocialNetworks boosts coordination while chasing personal gain weakens it.

🔗 doi.org/10.1177/1043...

Read in August'25 issue:

⚔️ Do political disagreements hide deeper moral divides?
💰 Why do small crowdfunding goals get overshot?
🧑🏽‍🤝‍🧑🏻 When do people step up to help?
🤝 Which networking rules foster consensus?
🗳️ Are voters “rationally irrational”?

🔗 journals.sagepub.com/toc/rssa/37/3

Don’t miss the critique & follow-up of this paper. Same theory, same event — two very different takes.

✊ Nieva’s comment: power shifts between ruling elite and marginalized groups

🔗 doi.org/10.1177/1043...

🕸 Authors’ reply: the power of #SocialNetwork analysis

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In #history, kinship ties made dynasties 💪 (think Medici) — but also fueled anti-elite revolts 🔥.

Armandola, Doehne, and Rost use #SocialNetworks to study #CollectiveAction and reveal who joined the 1691 Basel uprising.

Read #OpenAccess: doi.org/10.1177/1043...

In a world of only Right and Left, do you:
🗳️ run to cast a ballot, or
🙈 ignore the #elections?

Arzumanyan shows why a chasm between party platforms does not intimidate voters but boosts #turnout – unlike similar centrist policies.

Read #OpenAccess: doi.org/10.1177/1043...

Reading a quote about kindness, would you be moved to donate time ⌚ or money 💸 to help others?

How we frame messages and incentives can affect people’s willingness to do good.

Barrera, Romanò, and Bocca explore this in simple experiments and real-world tasks: doi.org/10.1177/1043...

To foster #cooperation, we either 🤝 form lasting relationships or 📝 sign contracts — but both come at a cost. Sokolova, Buskens & Raub use #GameTheory and experiments to show when people choose to invest in these strategies.

Read #OpenAccess: journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10....

"Weak ties as a liability: The case of East Germany", 2001

As we’re waiting for Beate Völker’s #Sunbelt2025 @insna.bsky.social keynote on social capital in #SocialNetworks:

Her renowned paper w/ Flap on why in totalitarian regimes, people don’t feel united — even when they can rely on each other.

#ThrowbackThursday pick of today: doi.org/10.1177/1043...

The Role of Strategic Threats in Refugee Resettlement - Lester A. Zeager, 2002 The Indochinese refugee crisis of 1978-79 is modeled as a prisoners' dilemma, with Thailand choosing whether to permit first asylum and the United States c...

By denying asylum to refugees fleeing Vietnam in 1978, Thailand shocked the world. Populism or strategic necessity in negotiations with the US? How were the fates of “boat people” decided?

#ThrowbackThursday paper by Zeager on the eve of #WorldRefugeeDay:
journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1...

POV: you’re a healthcare intern and #COVID strikes. Do you:
🏥 show up for your internship or
🏠 #stayhome?

@tteekens.bsky.social, Giardini & Wittek show how #SocialNorm beliefs affected Dutch students’ #DecisionMaking during #lockdown.

Read #OpenAccess: journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10....

@rug.nl

tag cloud ☁️
#DecisionMaking #ComputationalModel #GameTheory #behavior #simulation #cooperation #organizations #prosocial #stayhome #SocialNorm #polarization #elections #turnout #mobilization

Read in May'25 issue:
🤝 Why do we commit to contracts or lasting bonds?
💡 How to spark more prosocial actions?
🏥 Why did interns choose to work in lockdown hospitals?
🗳️ Does voter turnout rise under polarization?
🔥 What drives people to join uprisings?
journals.sagepub.com/toc/rssa/37/2

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