Stagnation in Evolutionary Algorithms: Convergence ≠ Optimality
Abstract
In the evolutionary computation community, it is widely believed that stagnation impedes convergence in evolutionary algorithms, and that convergence inherently indicates optimality. However, this perspective is misleading. In this study, it is the first to highlight that the stagnation of an individual can actually facilitate the convergence of the entire population, and convergence does not necessarily imply optimality, not even local optimality. Convergence alone is insufficient to ensure the effectiveness of evolutionary algorithms. Several counterexamples are provided to illustrate this argument.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Metaheuristic Optimization Algorithms Research
Scheduling and Optimization Algorithms
Evolutionary Algorithms and Applications
Publication details
- Journal / source
- IEEE Systems Man and Cybernetics Magazine
- Volume
- 12
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 122–C4
- Publication date
- 1 July 2026
- Language
- EN