>>> Study game theory

And you start seeing mini prisoners dilemmas in all interactions. Maybe dated, but still loads of fun: Game of Life John Conway's Winning Ways For Your Mathematical Plays

https://annarchive.com/files/Winning%20Ways%20for%20Your%20M...

I'd add probability theory to the mix. Computer Age Statistical Inference is a modern classic

https://web.stanford.edu/~hastie/CASI/