Mask usage and quantum cognition theory

Face mask was, and still is, one of the most used prevention measures to contain the spread of the COVID19 virus. Wearing or not a mask is an individual two choice decision, which repeats over time, and affects and is affected by others’ behaviors. This framework is similar to Schelling’s main idea when he focused on binary choices with externalities. We introduce quantum cognition in Schelling’s model to describe the time evolution dynamics of population behaviors, as psychological theory and empirical observations suggest that previous actions could affect future choices. Following one of Schelling’ s examples, if Alice has been cycling to work in the last two days while Bob did not cycletwo days ago but yesterday did, albeit they are indistinguishable with regard to individual differences, this could lead to a different choice about the decision to be made today. This is consistent with the fundamental principle of quantum theory: the measurement operation simultaneously creates and records the property of the system. This makes it an ideal approach for improving the way of modeling agents within the Schelling’s framework. The nonlinearity of the piecewise linear map we obtain, exhibits interesting characteristics such as organizing bifurcation centers and coexistence of equilibria, that may help understand different observed behaviors across countries. By considering the available data on face mask wearing and government restrictions, we are able to perform some grounded simulations of different population behaviors, compare them, and predict possible behaviors in different contexts.