A Beautiful Mind - Game Theory Explanation
In *A Beautiful Mind*, there’s a scene where John Nash and his friends are at a bar, and they
spot a group of women. One woman is clearly the most attractive, and naturally, all the men
want to talk to her. But Nash realizes something important: if they all go after her, they’ll
end up getting in each other’s way, and none of them will succeed. Instead, Nash suggests a
different approach where they each go for one of the other women. This way, they won’t be
directly competing, so each guy has a better chance of success.
To make this idea clearer, let’s imagine two of the guys in Nash’s group, Player 1 (Nash) and
Player 2 (his friend), each have two options:
1. **Go after the most attractive woman (A).**
2. **Go after one of the other women (B or C).**
Let’s look at what happens depending on their choices:
| | Player 2 Goes for A | Player 2 Goes for B or C |
|--------------------------|---------------------|---------------------------|
| **Player 1 Goes for A** | **(0, 0)** - Both compete for A, and neither gets her. | **(1,
2)** - Player 1 has a chance with A, but Player 2 has a better chance with B or C. |
| **Player 1 Goes for B or C** | **(2, 1)** - Player 1 has a good chance with B or C, while
Player 2 has a moderate chance with A. | **(2, 2)** - Both avoid A and have a good
chance with B or C. |
Here’s what each result means:
1. **If both go for A**: They compete with each other for the same woman, which blocks
them both. They both lose out, so their chances of success are low (0,0).
2. **If Player 1 goes for A and Player 2 goes for B or C**: Player 1 has a small chance of
getting A (1), while Player 2 avoids competition and has a better chance with B or C (2).
3. **If Player 1 goes for B or C and Player 2 goes for A**: Player 1 avoids competition and
has a higher chance with B or C (2), while Player 2 has a lower chance with A (1).
4. **If both go for B or C**: They both avoid the most attractive woman, which means they
aren’t directly competing. This way, each one has a good chance with B or C, so they both
end up with a better outcome (2,2).
### Nash’s Big Insight
Nash realizes that the best choice is for each man to avoid competing for the same woman. If
they all go for the other women instead of A, they’ll avoid blocking each other and actually
increase their chances of success. This is a strategy where they consider each other’s
actions, and by cooperating this way, everyone gets a better chance than if they all fought
over the same woman.
This thinking was the beginning of Nash’s theory, now called a “Nash Equilibrium.” It’s the
idea that the best result happens when people consider each other’s choices and don’t just
act selfishly. This scene captures a big moment for Nash because he realizes that in many
situations—like business, economics, and even everyday decisions—people do better when
they make choices that balance their own goals with the actions of others.
