Disease avoidance threatens social cohesion in a large-scale social networking experiment.

People tend to limit social contacts during times of increased health risks, leading to disruption of social networks thus changing the course of epidemics. To what extent, however, do people show such avoidance reactions? To test the predictions and assumptions of an agent-based model on the feedback loop between avoidance behavior, social networks, and disease spread, we conducted a large-scale (2,879 participants) incentivized experiment. The experiment rewards maintaining social relations and structures, and penalizes acquiring infections.