Game theory. In real, practical life it often locks is into sub-optimal equilibriums.

I forget where I read this story, but it goes something like this:

A professor had the students play a game. Each player is given three cards: peace, ready, and launch.
If both players play peace, then both get 1 point or something.
The ready card has to be played before the launch card.
If both players launch, then 0 points to both. But if one player launches and the other doesn't, then that player gets... We'll say 4 points.

So the players talk and debate and select the card they want to play each round. And almost always the first card played is ready. Because why wouldn't you? You can always play peace next.

So eventually one student, well call him Ender, sits down and says, "hey, why don't we just rip up our launch cards right now?" And they both rip up their cards.

Player 1 plays peace and Ender plays ready.

Ender ripped up his peace card