Nine experimental studies demonstrate that individuals report heightened autonomy when their personal interests align with group members' goals, creating cooperative rather than competitive dynamics. The research measured autonomy perceptions across dyads, teams, and organizational settings, finding consistent effects regardless of group size or context. This challenges conventional wisdom that autonomy requires independence from others. Instead, the data suggest that when everyone can succeed together, people feel more freedom to act authentically rather than strategically. The findings have significant implications for workplace design and team management. Organizations that structure roles and incentives to minimize zero-sum competition may inadvertently boost employee satisfaction and intrinsic motivation. The autonomy-cooperation link also helps explain why collaborative work environments often outperform individualistic ones in creativity and problem-solving. However, the studies relied heavily on self-reported autonomy measures, which may not capture unconscious constraints or long-term behavioral changes. The research also doesn't address how to maintain cooperative dynamics when resource limitations or competitive pressures naturally arise. Nevertheless, this work provides compelling evidence that human autonomy flourishes not in isolation, but in thoughtfully structured social contexts where mutual success becomes possible.