# The Power of Stories: Narrative Priming Shapes How LLM Agents Collaborate and Compete

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2505.03961 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2505.03961/

## Key facts

- Cited by 2 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Placed in Social simulation and multi-agent debate, one of 16 directions in LLM agents and tool use.
- Builds on 11 of its 35 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 6 May 2025.

## Placed in

- LLM agents and tool use / [Social simulation and multi-agent debate](https://mlsanity.com/agents/social-simulation-and-multi-agent-debate/)

## Builds on (most cited first, 11 of 11)

- [Generative Agents: Interactive Simulacra of Human Behavior](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2304.03442/) (2023)
- [Using Large Language Models to Simulate Multiple Humans and Replicate Human Subject Studies](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2208.10264/) (2022)
- [Multi-Agent Collaboration Mechanisms: A Survey of LLMs](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2501.06322/) (2025)
- [Theory of Mind for Multi-Agent Collaboration via Large Language Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2310.10701/) (2023)
- [How Well Can LLMs Negotiate? NegotiationArena Platform and Analysis](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2402.05863/) (2024)
- [Cooperation, Competition, and Maliciousness: LLM-Stakeholders Interactive Negotiation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2309.17234/) (2023)
- [Are LLMs Effective Negotiators? Systematic Evaluation of the Multifaceted Capabilities of LLMs in Negotiation Dialogues](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2402.13550/) (2024)
- [Steering Language Models with Game-Theoretic Solvers](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2402.01704/) (2024)
- [Do Language Models Exhibit Human-like Structural Priming Effects?](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2406.04847/) (2024)
- [Negotiation Games](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1509.07199/) (2015)
- [Reporting and Analysing the Environmental Impact of Language Models on the Example of Commonsense Question Answering with External Knowledge](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2408.01453/) (2024)

## Built on by (most cited first, 2 of 2)

- [The PIMMUR Principles: Ensuring Validity in Collective Behavior of LLM Societies](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2509.18052/) (2025)
- [LLM-based HSE Compliance Assessment: Benchmark, Performance, and Advancements](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2505.22959/) (2025)

## Abstract (arXiv)

According to Yuval Noah Harari, large-scale human cooperation is driven by shared narratives that encode common beliefs and values. This study explores whether such narratives can similarly nudge LLM agents toward collaboration. We use a finitely repeated public goods game in which LLM agents choose either cooperative or egoistic spending strategies. We prime agents with stories highlighting teamwork to different degrees and test how this influences negotiation outcomes. Our experiments explore four questions:(1) How do narratives influence negotiation behavior? (2) What differs when agents share the same story versus different ones? (3) What happens when the agent numbers grow? (4) Are agents resilient against self-serving negotiators? We find that story-based priming significantly affects negotiation strategies and success rates. Common stories improve collaboration, benefiting each agent. By contrast, priming agents with different stories reverses this effect, and those agents primed toward self-interest prevail. We hypothesize that these results carry implications for multi-agent system design and AI alignment.