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Depolarization in the coevolutionary dynamics of opinion and cooperation

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  • Li, Jiayuan
  • Xu, Haojie
  • Huang, Fuying
  • Han, Wenchen
  • Huang, Changwei

Abstract

Cooperation and consensus have long been essential drivers of social development and stability. In human societies, personal opinions continually shape individual behaviors, which in turn alter the trajectory of those very opinions. To explore the complex interplay between individual decisions and collective consensus in times of opinion polarization, we propose a coevolutionary model in this study, coupling opinion dynamics with agents’ game decisions to investigate their synergistic effects. Our simulation results show that a moderate opinion coupling strength promotes heterogeneity in individual opinions, thereby fostering the emergence of both cooperation and consensus. However, when this coupling becomes excessive, it reduces opinion heterogeneity. This leads to a rise in defection under high temptation, ultimately triggering the collapse of cooperation and consensus. These results challenge the conventional wisdom that “stronger coupling always promotes cooperation and consensus,” revealing a deeper, nonlinear interdependence between human behavior and opinions. Our study thus offers a novel framework for research in collective governance and societal opinion depolarization.

Suggested Citation

  • Li, Jiayuan & Xu, Haojie & Huang, Fuying & Han, Wenchen & Huang, Changwei, 2026. "Depolarization in the coevolutionary dynamics of opinion and cooperation," Applied Mathematics and Computation, Elsevier, vol. 520(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:apmaco:v:520:y:2026:i:c:s009630032600007x
    DOI: 10.1016/j.amc.2026.129955
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