Using Game Theory to Explain Why People Are Superficial

I’m on vacation this week, so I am mixing things up with a fun video I saw recently.

The video title is “Using Game Theory to Explain Why People Are Superficial.” The setting is a college lecture given by Dirk Mateer, Ph.D.

Mateer sets up an incredibly entertaining lesson where students are put on the spot and get some experience in strategic thinking. The explanation is so great that it more than makes up for the average video and audio quality. Be sure to watch all seven minutes.

Here is it on Youtube:

Video link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhGV_lZ3J_E

Some highlights:

[0:15] The teacher gets volunteers for a dating game–who will volunteer more: guys or girls?

[1:39] Students are judged to be hot or not (in a polite and random way)

[2:00] The main topic is introduced: how can you improve your position in the dating market using economics and game theory?

[2:25] Names are announced to the class. I think the student with a score of 10 out of 10 is secretly smiling.

[3:18] How an average person, a 5 out of 10, think strategically in the marketplace?

[4:00] The first step to gaining an edge in the dating marketplace is introduced

[4:40] Why having attractive friends will make your personality look better

[5:10] Why supermodels don’t have to be to be superficial

[5:58] A student is put in the spotlight when playing the game. I burst into laughter, as does the class.

[6:02] What NOT to say when asking out someone attractive

[6:38] When it makes sense to be yourself versus being superficial

[6:58] A good concluding remark

What are your thoughts?

If you want to thank the lecturer, leave a comment on his Youtube page or read about his other work on his website.



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  • http://patf.net/blogs/index.php?blog=2 Patrick Farrell

    Very good explanation in that lecture. I feel like I could show that video to anyone and they would get it. I’ll have to try with my wife.

  • http://www.mindyourdecisions.com/blog/ Presh Talwalkar

    Patrick Farrell:
    Thanks for the feedback–that’s precisely the feeling I had when I saw it.

  • Paul0616

    in a nutshell ~ the value of social proof

    the perfect person won’t be a ten without plenty of social proof. The prom king & queen in high school were a combo of looks, talent, smarts, and popularity, with a strong emphasis on the latter. People liked them and wanted to be like them simply because others liked them. And being liked by those that are liked increases popularity by association.

    popular people gain attractiveness in a positive feedback loop

    nerdy, socially awkward people suffer a negative feedback loop

    rich get richer, poor get poorer, etc.

  • http://www.mindyourdecisions.com/blog/ Presh Talwalkar

    Paul0616:
    Thanks for your comment, and I agree social proof plays an important role.

    I took the video as a lesson in signaling and imperfect information. It’s not easy to show you are smart/funny/have a good personality from appearance. So it is in your advantage (perhaps necessary?) to make friends with attractive people to show that.

    But you did raise another issue about who won dance king/queen in high school. In my own experience, it was *not* the most attractive person. It was usually an “average package” that won out. Why was that?

    I think it has to do with the strategy of voting, a topic I plan to cover very soon … :)

  • Paul0616

    I have dabbled a little in the book: “Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion”, and there is a whole chapter on social proof. The principle is that in situations that are difficult to judge objectively, such as whether a person as “value”, people look to other people to help make the decision. So the more people that think a person has “value”, the more value they really have. And I imagine by extension, the more people of value, who think a person has value, the more value they really have.

  • http://www.mindyourdecisions.com/blog/ Presh Talwalkar

    Paul06016:
    Excellent reference. “Influence” is one of my favorite books and this is a great point.

  • Celizabeth

    The video is now private. I was not able to watch it.

  • http://mindyourdecisions.com/blog/ Presh Talwalkar

    Looks like the video author took it down…my rough transcription will have to do

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