In the Edgar Wright directed Scott Pilgrim vs the World, we see the protagonist constantly changing up his tactics to overcome the obstacles in his path. In order to date the girl of his dreams, slacker extraordinaire Scott Pilgrim must defeat her seven evil exes.
After overcoming the first opponent through his own skill, Scott soon finds himself over-matched. He makes up the difference with a combination of misdirection, trickery and a little help from his friends. However, despite relying upon their help he continues to focus on his own issues - largely to the detriment of his relationships with them, and particularly with his girlfriend Ramona.
His selfish attitude sparks a rift between himself and Ramona. Scott turns to three powerful (but possibly selfish) motivations to carry him through the fights with the last few exes: the power of jealousy, the power of love and the power of self-respect. They all play their part in helping him overcome his immediate obstacles. But they are never quite enough.
It is a common pop cultural theme that 'we get by with a little help from our friends'. Whether it's Luke who can't get it done without Han, Chewie, Leia and Ben, Frodo and the fellowship, or Harry Potter with Ron and Hermione, our heroes are shown time and again being assisted in their greatest personal achievements. They don't succeed as an isolated pillar casting off the shackles put on them by others, but by being liberated from those chains by the teaching, wisdom, love, compassion and support of others.
And it seems that when maths and evolutionary biology get together, their combined analysis is favourable to this pop cultural meme. Nowak & Highfield (2011) used game theory to propose that cooperation wins out because as a strategy - defined by being generous, hopeful and forgiving - our chances in zero-sum games are greatly improved.
'We are moulded and remoulded by those who have loved us; and though the love may pass, we are nevertheless their work, for good or ill.' - Francois Mauriac (1925).
In the end Scott wins the respect of his peers by changing his ways - by removing himself from his selfish bubble and making personal sacrifices (most notably his ego) for the well-being of his friends. With this he achieves his goals and fosters a positive community that helps him thrive.
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References:
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+ Martin Nowak & Roger Highfield's 'Supercooperators: The mathematics of evolution, altruism and human behaviour'; April 2011.
+ The Beatles' 'With a Little Help From my Friends'; on Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band; 1967.
+ Francois Mauriac's 'Le Désert de l'amour' (The Desert of Love); 1925.
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