Zero-sum relationship

A zero-sum relationship occurs when one person's gain is exactly balanced by another's loss. In other words, the total amount remains constant; if one person benefits, someone else must lose an equivalent amount. The concept is common in situations like gambling or competitive markets, where resources or rewards are fixed, and the overall sum doesn’t change. Understanding this helps recognize that in such scenarios, increasing one party’s benefit directly decreases another’s, emphasizing competition over cooperation.