We often resort to a good old game of rock paper scissors to make a decision, whether that’s what to have for dinner or who’s doing the washing up.
Like flipping a coin, it’s a simple strategy that we assume is fair - especially as it doesn’t always go the way we want it to.
However, there’s a simple trick that can make sure we win at the game every time - and it’s all about thinking ahead.
As seen in a video by Numberphile, you can loosely use mathematics to ensure you’re always going to come up on top.
There are two findings from the video featuring Dr. Hannah Fry, and those two findings could bag you a win.
- Winners always repeat their strategy
- Losers change
Hannah explained: “This is the thing that you can exploit basically. If you lose, and your opponent won by playing rock, the chances are that they’ll play rock again.
“You just lost on scissors, so you should play paper. Even though paper beats rock, you should go the other way round the triangle.”
Basically, if you’ve played scissors and they’ve played rock, you should play the thing that didn’t come up, which in this case, is rock.
This is where things get a little sneaky, especially if you’ve won, and once you understand the method it’s very easy.
Dr. Hannah Fry explains: “If you’ve won, they’re going to expect you to play the same thing again.
“So they’re going to play the thing that would beat the thing that you’ve just played, so you need to play the thing that will beat the thing.”
Confused? You shouldn’t be, once you put this sneaky skill into practice, you’re bound to win every time - it’s all about thinking ahead.
She continues: “Let’s imagine that you’ve just played rock and won, that means that they’ve played scissors and they’re going to think you’ve played rock again.
“Which means that they’re going to play paper, which means that you should play scissors, you basically end up going backwards around the triangle.”
This strategy is a combination of psychology and mathematics, and is defined as “rooted in game theory.”
Hannah concludes: “It’s the mathematics of looking at decisions and strategies, and your best move is dependent on what the other person is playing, you can frame in game theory.”
So next time you’re deciding what takeaway to get, make sure you stick with this tactic and you’re bound to get what you want.
