PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Simple mathematical formula describes human struggles

University of Miami physicist and his collaborators discover a mathematical law that explains a wide variety of human confrontations

2013-12-13
(Press-News.org) Contact information: Annette Gallagher
a.gallagher1@umiami.edu
305-284-1121
University of Miami
Simple mathematical formula describes human struggles University of Miami physicist and his collaborators discover a mathematical law that explains a wide variety of human confrontations Would you believe that a broad range of human struggles can be understood by using a mathematical formula? From child-parent struggles to cyber-attacks and civil unrest, they can all be explained with a simple mathematical expression called a "power-law."

In a sort of unified theory of human conflict, scientists have found a way to mathematically describe the severity and timing of human confrontations that affect us personally and as a society.

For example, the manner in which a baby's cries escalate against its parent is comparable to the way riots in Poland escalated in the lead-up to the collapse of the Soviet Union. It comes down to the fact that the perpetrator in both cases (e.g. baby, rioters) adapts quickly enough to escalate its attacks against the larger, but more sluggish entity (e.g. parent, government), who is unable, or unwilling, to respond quickly enough to satisfy the perpetrator, according to a new study published in Nature's Scientific Reports.

"By picking out a specific baby (and parent), and studying what actions of the parent make the child escalate or de-escalate its cries, we can understand better how to counteract cyber-attacks against a particular sector of U.S. cyber infrastructure, or how an outbreak of civil unrest in a given location (e.g. Syria) will play out, following particular government interventions," says Neil Johnson, professor of physics and the head of the interdisciplinary research group in Complexity, at the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Miami (UM) and corresponding author of the study.

Respectively, the study finds some remarkable similarities between seemingly disconnected confrontations. For instance: The escalation of violent attacks in Magdalena, Colombia -- though completely cut off from the rest of the world -- is actually representative of all modern wars. Meanwhile, the conflict in Sierra Leone, Africa, has exactly the same dynamics as the narco-guerilla war in Antioquia, Colombia. The pattern of attacks by predatory traders against General Electric (GE) stock is equivalent to the pattern of cyber-attacks against the U.S. hi-tech electronics sector by foreign groups, which in turn mimics specific infants and parents. New insight into the controversial 'Bloody Sunday' attack by the British security forces, against civilians, on January 30,1972, reveals that Bloody Sunday appears to be the culmination of escalating Provisional Irish Republican Army attacks, not their trigger, hence raising new questions about its strategic importance.

The findings show that this mathematical formula of the form AB-C is a valuable tool that can be applied to make quantitative predictions concerning future attacks in a given confrontation. It can also be used to create an intervention strategy against the perpetrators and, more broadly, as a quantitative starting point for cross-disciplinary theorizing about human aggression, at the individual and group level, in both real and online worlds.

INFORMATION:

The study is titled "Simple mathematical law benchmarks human confrontations." Co-authors are Guannan Zhao, Hong Qi, Pedro Manrique and Nicholas Johnson from the Department of Physics, UM; Daniel S. Messinger, Whitney Mattson and Devon Gangi from the Department of Psychology, UM; Nicolas Velasquez, Ana Morgenstern and Elvira Restrepo from the Department of International Studies, UM; Juan Camilo Bohorquez, Pablo Medina and Roberto Zarama from CEIBA Complex Systems Research Center and Department of Industrial Engineering, Universidad de Los Andes, Bogota; John Horgan, Center for Terrorism & Security Studies, from the University of Massachusetts; Paul Gill, from the Department of Security and Crime Science, University College London, and Michael Spagat, from the Department of Economics, Royal Holloway College, Egham.

This project developed in collaboration with HRL Laboratories and funded by the Intelligence Advance Research Projects Activity (IARPA) and the Office of Naval Research (ONR).

http://www.miami.edu/news

The University of Miami's mission is to educate and nurture students, to create knowledge, and to provide service to our community and beyond. Committed to excellence and proud of our diversity of our University family, we strive to develop future leaders of our nation and the world.

END



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Research shows correlation between adult height and underlying heart disease

2013-12-13
Research shows correlation between adult height and underlying heart disease MINNEAPOLIS, MN – December 12, 2013 – Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation research cardiologist Dr. Michael Miedema is the lead author of a paper published by Circulation ...

Disease, not climate change, fueling frog declines in the Andes, study finds

2013-12-13
Disease, not climate change, fueling frog declines in the Andes, study finds Amphibians at high elevations can tolerate temperature changes, but susceptible to deadly fungus SAN FRANCISCO -- A deadly fungus, and not climate change as is widely believed, is the ...

New screening strategy to prevent cardiovascular complications in sports

2013-12-13
New screening strategy to prevent cardiovascular complications in sports Conventional echocardiography is simple, accurate and cost effective Istanbul, Turkey – 13 December 2013: Echocardiography with conventional M-mode and 2D modalities is a simple ...

Wrist fracture significantly raises risk of hip fracture

2013-12-13
Wrist fracture significantly raises risk of hip fracture Asian study shows patients with Colles' fracture are at higher risk than patients with osteoporosis to have a subsequent hip fracture within one year; Colles' fracture and ...

Scientists and practitioners don't see eye to eye on repressed memory

2013-12-13
Scientists and practitioners don't see eye to eye on repressed memory Skepticism about repressed traumatic memories has increased over time, but new research shows that psychology researchers and practitioners still tend to hold different ...

Obstetric care may differ at rural versus urban hospitals, reports Medical Care

2013-12-13
Obstetric care may differ at rural versus urban hospitals, reports Medical Care Study finds rising cesarean section rates nationally; induction of labor increases more sharply at rural hospitals Philadelphia, Pa. (December 13, 2013) – Rates of unnecessary ...

Snail fever expected to decline in Africa due to climate change

2013-12-13
Snail fever expected to decline in Africa due to climate change The dangerous parasite Schistosoma mansoni that causes snail fever in humans could become significantly less common in the future a new international study led by researchers from ...

New analysis shows that physician scientists are less likely to be engaged in biomedical research than in past

2013-12-12
New analysis shows that physician scientists are less likely to be engaged in biomedical research than in past Bethesda, MD – A new analysis published in The FASEB Journal describes the declining participation of physician scientists ...

Turning a blind eye

2013-12-12
Turning a blind eye Study by USC Marshall faculty examines the impact of moral preferences on ethical Would you let other people's ethical preferences determine whether you act unethically on their behalf? Or would you instead rely on your own ...

Congregations' smaller racial groups feel less belonging and are less involved, Baylor study finds

2013-12-12
Congregations' smaller racial groups feel less belonging and are less involved, Baylor study finds Even in multiracial congregations, the experiences of all racial groups are not equal, researchers say People who are part of a congregation's largest racial group ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

AI can spot which patients need treatment to prevent vision loss in young adults

Half of people stop taking popular weight-loss drug within a year, national study finds

Links between diabetes and depression are similar across Europe, study of over-50s in 18 countries finds

Smoking increases the risk of type 2 diabetes, regardless of its characteristics

Scientists trace origins of now extinct plant population from volcanically active Nishinoshima

AI algorithm based on routine mammogram + age can predict women’s major cardiovascular disease risk

New hurdle seen to prostate screening: primary-care docs

MSU researchers explore how virtual sports aid mental health

Working together, cells extend their senses

Cheese fungi help unlock secrets of evolution

Researchers find brain region that fuels compulsive drinking

Mental health effects of exposure to firearm violence persist long after direct exposure

Research identifies immune response that controls Oropouche infection and prevents neurological damage

University of Cincinnati, Kent State University awarded $3M by NSF to share research resources

Ancient DNA reveals deeply complex Mastodon family and repeated migrations driven by climate change

Measuring the quantum W state

Researchers find a way to use antibodies to direct T cells to kill Cytomegalovirus-infected cells

Engineers create mini microscope for real-time brain imaging

Funding for training and research in biological complexity

The Journal of Nuclear Medicine Ahead-of-Print Tip Sheet: September 12, 2025

ISSCR statement on the scientific and therapeutic value of human fetal tissue research

Novel PET tracer detects synaptic changes in spinal cord and brain after spinal cord injury

Wiley advances Knowitall Solutions with new trendfinder application for user-friendly chemometric analysis and additional enhancements to analytical workflows

Benchmark study tracks trends in dog behavior

OpenAI, DeepSeek, and Google vary widely in identifying hate speech

Research spotlight: Study identifies a surprising new treatment target for chronic limb threatening ischemia

Childhood loneliness and cognitive decline and dementia risk in middle-aged and older adults

Parental diseases of despair and suicidal events in their children

Acupuncture for chronic low back pain in older adults

Acupuncture treatment improves disabling effects of chronic low back pain in older adults

[Press-News.org] Simple mathematical formula describes human struggles
University of Miami physicist and his collaborators discover a mathematical law that explains a wide variety of human confrontations