Universal scaling law in human behavioral organization.
We describe the nature of human behavioral organization, specifically how resting and active periods are interwoven throughout daily life. Active period durations with physical activity count successively above a predefined threshold, when rescaled with individual means, follow a universal stretched exponential (gamma-type) cumulative distribution with characteristic time, both in healthy individuals and in patients with major depressive disorder. On the other hand, resting period durations below the threshold for both groups obey a scale-free power-law cumulative distribution over two decades, with significantly lower scaling exponents in the patients. We thus find universal distribution laws governing human behavioral organization, with a parameter altered in depression.
Nakamura
Toru
T
The Center for Advanced Medical Engineering and Informatics, Osaka University, 1-3 Machikaneyama, Toyonaka-shi, Osaka 560-8531, Japan.
Kiyono
Ken
K
Yoshiuchi
Kazuhiro
K
Nakahara
Rika
R
Struzik
Zbigniew R
ZR
Yamamoto
Yoshiharu
Y
D000328:Adult; D001519:Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D009043:Motor Activity; D012146:Rest