diner's dilemma

A situation where participants aim to obtain the highest reward but end up in an unfavorable position. This is based on a situation where a group of people agree to split the bill prior to ordering. Since the cost of the meal will be divided among the group, every member will order an expensive item, thus the group will find themselves paying a more expensive bill than they intended. This is applicable to social situations such as conservation of natural resources and other issues requiring group effort and cooperation.