Self-organized social distancing

doi:10.1080/0022250X.2025.2513240

Self-organized social distancing

2026-02-01

0

PRE

AI

DOI：10.1080/0022250X.2025.2513240

Original

Original request for help

Save

Abstract

En 中文

During previous pandemics, social distancing was organized top-down, through the imposition of a minimum distance. An alternative approach toward social distancing asks individuals to try to maximize their distance to others. Here, we ask whether people can thus efficiently self-organize spatial arrangements. We studied 953 social distancing decisions made in 150 groups under controlled conditions. Results show that subject behavior approximates what optimal mathematical strategies achieve. At scale, the observed behavior produces greater distancing than the mere respecting of an externally imposed minimum distance. These findings suggest that the encouragement of maximal distancing may reduce the propagation of viruses that spread through close-range contact beyond what is achieved with minimum-distance policies alone.

Keywords:

Experiment

health behavior

mathematical analysis

physical distancing

social distancing

Self-organized social distancing

Abstract

Journal

Organization