  Recent studies suggest that the emergence of cooperative behavior can be
explained by generalized reciprocity, a behavioral mechanism based on the
principle of "help anyone if helped by someone". In complex systems, the
cooperative dynamics is largely determined by the network structure which
dictates the interactions among neighboring individuals. These interactions
often exhibit multidimensional features, either as relationships of different
types or temporal dynamics, both of which may be modeled as a "multiplex"
network. Against this background, here we advance the research on cooperation
models inspired by generalized reciprocity by considering a multidimensional
networked society. Our results reveal that a multiplex network structure may
enhance the role of generalized reciprocity in promoting cooperation, whereby
some of the network dimensions act as a latent support for the others. As a
result, generalized reciprocity forces the cooperative contributions of the
individuals to concentrate in the dimension which is most favorable for the
existence of cooperation.
