Exploring the Evolution of Social Norms with Fugaku -How Does Cooperation Based on Reputation Evolve?-

An international research team led by Yohsuke Murase from the Discrete Event Simulation Research Team at the RIKEN Center for Computational Science has uncovered new insights into how cooperative behavior based on reputation evolves in society. This research was conducted using large-scale simulations and mathematical models on RIKEN's supercomputer, Fugaku.

The findings are expected to advance our understanding of the evolutionary origins of human social emotions and contribute to the design of mechanisms for achieving large-scale cooperation in societies.

The research team explored the evolution of "indirect reciprocity"—a mechanism that maintains cooperative behavior in human societies—using mathematical models and simulations. They investigated how social norms that promote cooperation emerge and evolve, identifying key characteristics of these norms that foster cooperative behavior.

The study was published online on August 8 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).