About a month ago, I watched a mediocre indie flick called Wonderful World.

The movie revolves around Ben (Matthew Broderick) — a downtrodden, divorced stoner dad who falls in love with Khadi (Sanaa Lathan) — a woman from Senegal. She’s visiting America because her brother — Ben’s roommate — is in a diabetic coma. Complicated cross-cultural romance and stressful family dynamics ensue.

At one point in the movie, it becomes unclear whether Khadi is gunning for a fast-track marriage and a green card, or if she “really” loves Ben. And then her brother (temporarily revived from his coma) says something interesting:

It is possible to love someone, and to also want something from them.

A fairly simple statement from a fairly forgettable movie. Yet weeks later, I can’t get it out of my head. What Ben’s roommate is talking about, of course, is Game Theory.

Game Theory scholars differentiate between “zero-sum” games, where one player wins and the other loses, and “non-zero-sum” games, where both players have opportunities to win because their interests are not in direct opposition.

I guess the difference between a “healthy” relationship and an “unhealthy” relationship depends on whether the players are engaged in a zero-sum or non-zero-sum game. But either way, there’s no such thing as unconditional love.

This cheery message brought to you by My Brain, with additional support from Matthew Broderick.

(Photo via Tilt Warning)