Want To Win At Rock, Paper, Scissors? Why Choosing Paper Is ‘Often The Best Strategy’

It is the best way to settle any issue that brooks no argument.

But if you ever feel like the odds of a game of rock, paper, scissors are stacked against you, you are not alone.

Scientists suggest that most of us take an irrational approach to playing the game, which can scupper out chances.

While many start out with a formula, players actually become emotion-driven when making their next move – often just replicating the previous round’s winner.

A better strategy would simply be to choose paper, researchers suggest, as most people tend to go for rock.

‘It’s worrying that people tended to make more irrational decisions following a loss,’ said Dr. Ben Dyson, lecturer in Psychology at the University of Sussex.

His report was published in the journal Scientific Reports.

Wrong strategy: The findings suggested an irrational approach

It said: 'Rock, paper, scissors (RPS) is a game where predictions of human rational decision-making can be compared with actual performance.

'Playing a computerized opponent adopting a mixed-strategy equilibrium, participants revealed a non-significant tendency to over-select rock.’

Dr Dyson said our willingness to quickly revert to irrational strategies had 'more serious implications in higher-stake scenarios’ such as economics or politics. He said it 'leaves people vulnerable to a smart opponent’.

He said success can be better achieved by separating emotion from the outcome, much as the best poker players do.

In tests, 31 undergraduate students were shown rock, paper and scissors signs on a screen.

'Participants completed 225 trials of RPS separated across 3 blocks of 75 trials. In each block, the computer played Rock, Paper and Scissors 25 times in a random order,’ the researchers report.

In each trial the volunteers had to choose rock, paper or scissors.

Once they heard 'go’, they were to make their selection and the computer would display the participant’s selection against its own.

Researchers said the only rational way the game would be played is if all three options were chosen an equal number of times.

But it was found that most followed a 'win-stay, lose-shift’ strategy – meaning when they won a round they kept repeating the same choice, only switching when they lost.

It was also discovered that most people tended to choose rock irrationally often, suggesting that the best strategy is to go for paper.

Picture from Rex Features