A Behavioral Economic Characterization of the Impact of the COVID-19 Quarantine on Reinforcer Diversity, Behavior,...

In 2020, the U.S. government, like other countries, instated a nationwide quarantine to reduce the spread of COVID-19, which had reached pandemic status. Though challenging on a number of levels, the quarantine also provided a unique opportunity to examine the effects of a cultural phenomenon that reduced access to many sources of reinforcement and the potential impact on behavior and health. From a behavioral economic standpoint, the quarantine likely resulted in greater consumption of reinforcers that were highly available in the home, such as social media, sleep, substances, and food, while lowering consumption of reinforcers that were restricted by quarantine policies. These two trends likely combined into a net reduction in the diversity of reinforcers that were available to individuals during the quarantine. For some individuals, these shifts in consumption also predicted changes in health and mental health status, especially those involving consumption of social media, sleep, substances, and food. We discuss the implications for health and mental health associated with these trends and end by offering suggestions on how a more careful programming of available reinforcers during times of low reinforcer diversity may prevent excessive consumption of reinforcers that may affect health or mental health risks.