How to beat rock, paper, scissors using psychology

Who takes out the trash? Do you choose the movie or should I choose it? Or as they would say Nico Williams and Lamin Yamal Once we reach the Eurocup quarterfinals, who will be the first to drink water? All these questions can be answered with one or more games rock Paper Scissors. Sometimes one is enough. In other cases, we prefer to expand the sample and play until three wins. Or maybe five. It seems like a rather random way of challenging what we want to do or what we don’t want to do for the life of us. But to what extent is this random Really?

Rolling a die, tossing a coin, or using a number generator is a random way of choosing between two or more options. Especially the latter, since if a human hand intervenes, then certain vices this changes the chance a little. But even in this case, we can say that these are random actions. On the other hand, playing rock, paper, scissors is not so much, because human psychology is not controlled by chance.

Near two people make decisions. Whether you play just one game or choose the best of several, these decisions can be psychologically driven. Sometimes we do this unconsciously; but in any case, this is no longer just an accident.

The best way to start playing rock, paper, scissors

Obviously, it is impossible to always win the game of rock, paper, scissors. But it’s true that there are people who play better, because they study the psychology of their opponent very well. We tend to stop and think about what’s going on in someone else’s head. When we think we have it figured out, we think about changing our behavior, but then we think that the other person may have figured it out, so we stay the same. Or did you also think that we would do this? Thus, we enter an endless cycle, from which it is difficult to escape, since it largely depends on the level of intuition of the other person.

Despite this, there are some factors that people who have studied this game from a psychological point of view more or less agree on. For example, it seems that for those who don’t stop to think a lot about what they are doing, probability of starting with a stone This is much more than with paper or scissors. This is due to several reasons. Let’s start with the fact that this is the first word in the title of the game. When we try to think about what to do, this is the first thing that comes to mind. Moreover, when we hide our hand in anticipation of the opportunity to remove it in a chosen position, we usually make a fist. So if we don’t stop thinking, it’s likely that we’ll reach out like this.

If you are playing rock, paper, scissors with someone who looks get carried away by accidentit would be nice to start with paper. But if this person knows it, he will start with scissors. It is impossible to know for sure what will happen.

Shall we make it the best of the three?

If rock, paper, scissors were truly random, the probability of getting each outcome would be there will always be ⅓. Both on the first try and on the second or third. However, this is usually not the case. A 2014 study by Chinese scientists found that people who win on their first try tend to get the same option on their second try. The probability of this happening is much higher, so it’s not a matter of ⅓. This would mean, for example, that if in the first game the other person drew a rock and you drew scissors, then in the next game you should draw the paper because it is likely that they will draw the rock again. It is safe? No, but probably.

On the other hand, it is very difficult to draw the same option three times. We are inclined unconsciously seek varietyso on the third attempt, if the first two have been repeated, the probability of getting the same thing again decreases.

All this data is based on statistics. There is no absolute truth or way to become the best rock, paper, scissors player in the world. The ideal way to act as often as possible is to play very quickly so that you don’t have too much time to think. This seems to be something Nico and Lamin did very well. Niko won, but we don’t know whether it’s because he knows his partner’s thoughts perfectly or by pure chance. Of course, watching them play may be reading their minds a little.