# Wanting to be Understood

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2504.06611 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2504.06611/

## Key facts

- Cited by 1 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 9 of its 63 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 9 Apr 2025.

## Builds on (most cited first, 9 of 9)

- [Proximal Policy Optimization Algorithms](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1707.06347/) (2017)
- [Curiosity-driven Exploration by Self-supervised Prediction](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1705.05363/) (2017)
- [Ray: A Distributed Framework for Emerging AI Applications](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1712.05889/) (2017)
- [Emergent Multi-Agent Communication in the Deep Learning Era](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2006.02419/) (2020)
- [Causal Influence Detection for Improving Efficiency in Reinforcement Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2106.03443/) (2021)
- [Emergent Communication: Generalization and Overfitting in Lewis Games](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2209.15342/) (2022)
- [Learning Reciprocity in Complex Sequential Social Dilemmas](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1903.08082/) (2019)
- [Simulacra as Conscious Exotica](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2402.12422/) (2024)
- [Supervised structure learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2311.10300/) (2023)

## Built on by (most cited first, 1 of 1)

- [Wanting to Be Understood Explains the Meta-Problem of Consciousness](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2506.12086/) (2025)

## Abstract (arXiv)

This paper explores an intrinsic motivation for mutual awareness, hypothesizing that humans possess a fundamental drive to understand and to be understood even in the absence of extrinsic rewards. Through simulations of the perceptual crossing paradigm, we explore the effect of various internal reward functions in reinforcement learning agents. The drive to understand is implemented as an active inference type artificial curiosity reward, whereas the drive to be understood is implemented through intrinsic rewards for imitation, influence/impressionability, and sub-reaction time anticipation of the other. Results indicate that while artificial curiosity alone does not lead to a preference for social interaction, rewards emphasizing reciprocal understanding successfully drive agents to prioritize interaction. We demonstrate that this intrinsic motivation can facilitate cooperation in tasks where only one agent receives extrinsic reward for the behaviour of the other.