Delay discounting and under-valuing of recent information predict poorer adherence to social distancing measures during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Alex Lloyd, Ryan McKay, Todd K Hartman, Benjamin T Vincent, Jamie Murphy, Jilly Gibson-Miller, Liat Levita, Kate Bennett, Orla McBride, Anton P Martinez, Thomas V A Stocks, Fr��d��rique Valli��res, Philip Hyland, Thanos Karatzias, Sarah Butter, Mark Shevlin, Richard P Bentall, Liam Mason
Author Information
Alex Lloyd: Department of Psychology, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham Hill, Egham, TW20 0EX, England. alex.lloyd120@gmail.com.
Ryan McKay: Department of Psychology, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham Hill, Egham, TW20 0EX, England.
Todd K Hartman: University of Manchester, Manchester, England.
Benjamin T Vincent: University of Dundee, Dundee, Scotland.
Jamie Murphy: University of Ulster, Ulster, Northern Ireland.
Jilly Gibson-Miller: University of Sheffield, Sheffield, England.
Liat Levita: University of Sheffield, Sheffield, England.
Kate Bennett: University of Liverpool, Liverpool, England.
Orla McBride: University of Ulster, Ulster, Northern Ireland.
Anton P Martinez: University of Sheffield, Sheffield, England.
Thomas V A Stocks: University of Sheffield, Sheffield, England.
Fr��d��rique Valli��res: Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Republic of Ireland.
Philip Hyland: National University of Ireland, Maynooth, Republic of Ireland.
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about unprecedented global changes in individual and collective behaviour. To reduce the spread of the virus, public health bodies have promoted social distancing measures while attempting to mitigate their mental health consequences. The current study aimed to identify cognitive predictors of social distancing adherence and mental health symptoms, using computational models derived from delay discounting (the preference for smaller, immediate rewards over larger, delayed rewards) and patch foraging (the ability to trade-off between exploiting a known resource and exploring an unknown one). In a representative sample of the UK population (N���=���442), we find that steeper delay discounting predicted poorer adherence to social distancing measures and greater sensitivity to reward magnitude during delay discounting predicted higher levels of anxiety symptoms. Furthermore, under-valuing recently sampled information during foraging independently predicted greater violation of lockdown guidance. Our results suggest that those who show greater discounting of delayed rewards struggle to maintain social distancing. Further, those who adapt faster to new information are better equipped to change their behaviour in response to public health measures. These findings can inform interventions that seek to increase compliance with social distancing measures whilst minimising negative repercussions for mental health.
References
Arch Intern Med. 2006 May 22;166(10):1092-7
[PMID: 16717171]
