Delay-induced periodic behavior in competitive populations

TL;DR

This paper investigates how delays in agents' perception of global choices can induce sustained periodic behavior in a competitive social decision-making model, transforming disordered states into coordinated oscillations.

Contribution

It introduces a delay mechanism into a social influence model, revealing its role in generating persistent periodic behavior in competitive populations.

Findings

Delay induces transition from disordered to periodic states.

Periodic behavior emerges due to the delay in global information detection.

The model demonstrates how social delays can lead to coordinated oscillations.

Abstract

We study a model of binary decisions in a fully connected network of interacting agents. Individual decisions are determined by social influence, coming from direct interactions with neighbours, and a group level pressure that accounts for social environment. In a competitive environment, the interplay of these two aspects results in the presence of a persistent disordered phase where no majority is formed. We sow how the introduction of a delay mechanism in the agent's detection of the global average choice may drastically change this scenario, giving rise to a coordinated self sustained periodic behaviour.