title: Clustered marginalization of minorities during social transitions induced by co-evolution of behaviour and network structure.
abstract: Large-scale transitions in societies are associated with both individual behavioural change and restructuring of the social network. These two factors have often been considered independently, yet recent advances in social network research challenge this view. Here we show that common features of societal marginalization and clustering emerge naturally during transitions in a co-evolutionary adaptive network model. This is achieved by explicitly considering the interplay between individual interaction and a dynamic network structure in behavioural selection. We exemplify this mechanism by simulating how smoking behaviour and the network structure get reconfigured by changing social norms. Our results are consistent with empirical findings: The prevalence of smoking was reduced, remaining smokers were preferentially connected among each other and formed increasingly marginalized clusters. We propose that self-amplifying feedbacks between individual behaviour and dynamic restructuring of the network are main drivers of the transition. This generative mechanism for co-evolution of individual behaviour and social network structure may apply to a wide range of examples beyond smoking.
authors: Climate Analytics, Berlin, Germany.|Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Potsdam, Germany.
authors: Carl-Friedrich
authors: CF
authors: Schleussner
authors: Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Potsdam, Germany.|Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors: Jonathan F
authors: JF
authors: Donges
authors: Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit, CEA DRF/I2BM, INSERM, Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, NeuroSpin center, 91191 Gif/Yvette, France.|Neuropsychology &Neuroimaging Team, INSERM UMRS 975, ICM, Paris, France.
authors: Denis A
authors: DA
authors: Engemann
authors: Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Potsdam, Germany.|Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University, New York, USA.|Institute of Physics and Astronomy, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany.
authors: Anders
authors: A
authors: Levermann
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D012919:Social Behavior; D012944:Social Support