Why Squid Game Players Risk Everything | The Math Behind "Irrational" Decisions

Why do players in Squid Game keep playing even when their lives are at stake? The answer lies in Prospect Theory and other mathematical models of human behaviour. Join Olga Kanj, Assistant Professor of Statistics and Actuarial Science at the University of Waterloo, to see how loss aversion, shifting reference points, and psychological traps like the sunk-cost fallacy help explain the desperate choices the players make. Even in life-or-death games, math reveals the surprising logic behind our most irrational decisions. 🩷💛 Engage with us online! 🖤🩷 Instagram: https://instagram.com/waterloomath LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/faculty-of-math/ Facebook: https://facebook.com/waterloomath -- As North America's only dedicated Faculty of Math, we are nationally and internationally recognized as one of the top schools for Mathematics and Computer Science. With nearly $30 million in research funding (2019/20) and an alumni network of over 45,000 across more than 100 countries, our students, faculty, and graduates continue to push the boundaries of research to discover new ways to harness the power of mathematics, computer science, and statistics. Visit our website at https://uwaterloo.ca/math/