In Lynne McTaggart’s The Bond she has a chapter entitled “Taking Turns” which describes multiple experiments designed to test the way people use either competitive or collaborative strategies.
One of the most well known of such experiments is “The Prisoners’ Dilemma” (google it if you want the details). Another one, which is also fascinating, is “The Ultimatum Game” where one player receives a sum of money. They offer the other player a share. If the other player accepts the offer, both keep the money. If the player turns down the offer, both leave with nothing.
In both these games a strategy of collaboration wins. In fact using computer modelling researchers were able to devise different game strategies. The one which succeeds over all other strategies is “tit for tat” – start with a generous offer, then follow the other player’s offers. If they make a low offer, punish them with a low offer back in the next round. If they offer a high share, then do likewise next time.
Other experiments include an imagined couple with different interests who are trying to decide where to go on a night out – the strategy which wins when the game is played through several rounds is “taking turns” – partner A’s choice is agreed to this time, and partner B’s choice will then be agreed next time.
What’s interesting about allow these experiments is that collaboration wins out every time – not competitiveness.
The other kind of experiment she describes involves groups which all play by certain rules – everyone plays fair until a player is introduced who has been primed to grab all the biggest shares for himself ignoring the rules. What happens then is that the group totally breaks down with the initial collaboration strategies getting blown away with an every man for himself one.
These latter experiments show that groups naturally prefer collaboration over competition except when there is obvious unfairness at which point social cohesion and collaboration is lost.
That’s such an important lesson for us as we become aware of the grabs made by the 1%, and the widening of the gap between the lowest and the highest paid in society. This socio-economic structure is just not going to last……
Heroes Not Zombies 
So well said.