A while ago, in a paper published by cognitive neuroscientist Richard Cook from the UCL Department of Cognitive, Perceptual, and Brain Science, players of the game rock-paper-scissors subconsciously copied each other’s hand gestures causing it to substantially increase the chance of ending the game in a draw.

To explore the prospect of the role of imitation, the researchers created two conditions under which 45 recruited participants played the game of rock-paper-scissors. In the first condition, both players were blindfolded. In the second, one player was blindfolded and the other was not. They even raised the stakes by adding a financial incentive to encourage the players to aim to win and avoid drawing.