Coevolutionary dynamics of higher-order interactions and strategic behavior in social dilemmas

Hao Yu, Xingfu Ke, Junjie Fu and Fanyuan Meng

Chaos, Solitons & Fractals, 2026, vol. 210, issue P1

Abstract: The interplay between collective behavioral strategies and dynamic interaction topologies is a defining feature of complex social systems. While classical evolutionary game theory predominantly assumes static environments, we introduce a continuous coevolutionary framework where the structural order of interactions — shifting dynamically between dyadic links and higher-order simplexes — evolves endogenously as a macroscopic topological order parameter. Driven by a bidirectional eco-evolutionary feedback loop, cooperators actively synthesize higher-order structures, while defectors drive structural degradation. By coupling replicator dynamics with logistic structural evolution, we reveal that the system’s macroscopic fate is governed by the interplay between the Higher-Order Exploitation Gap (Δmix), the relative topological plasticity (θ), and underlying pairwise dilemma type (characterized by T and S). We demonstrate that topological feedback acts as a profound, nonlinear evolutionary driver: In the Prisoner’s Dilemma, it enables the nucleation of a bistable “structural niche,” allowing cooperation to escape the tragedy of the commons. In the Stag Hunt, the topology acts as a nonlinear amplifier of initial conditions, inducing extreme hysteresis and irreversible “all-or-nothing” phase transitions. Conversely, in the Harmony and Chicken games, severe multi-body exploitation (Δmix>0) triggers symmetry breaking, generating paradoxical interior traps and thermodynamic mixed states that dynamically prevent Pareto-optimal convergence. These findings establish that adaptive topologies act as elastic, self-regulating mechanisms, offering a unified statistical-physics perspective on the co-emergence of structural complexity and social cooperation.

Keywords: Replicator dynamics; Higher-order interactions; Coevolutionary game theory; Topological phase transitions (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960077926007794
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:chsofr:v:210:y:2026:i:p1:s0960077926007794

DOI: 10.1016/j.chaos.2026.118638

Access Statistics for this article

Chaos, Solitons & Fractals is currently edited by Stefano Boccaletti and Stelios Bekiros

More articles in Chaos, Solitons & Fractals from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Thayer, Thomas R. ().