relevant to gender fluidity, physical and mathematical principles underpinning the nonlinear dynamics [25] could be used to create a viable model of gender fluidity.Indeed, using the fundamental principles of physics we can comprehend and challenge the common binary view of male and female through the prism of our basic understanding of nature.For example, let us consider a traditional digital computer and a quantum computer [26].Similarly to an on/off light switch, a bit of a digital computer is always in one of two physical states corresponding to the binary values '0' and '1' .However, a quantum computer uses a quantum bit (qubit) that can be in states |0⟩=[1 0] and |1⟩=[0 1].These states are analogous to the '0' and '1' binary states of the classical digital computer.However, a qubit also exists in a continuum of states between |0⟩ and |1⟩, i.e. its states are a superposition |ψ⟩=α|0⟩ + β|1⟩ with |α| 2 + |β| 2 =1.Computational algorithms based on measurements of the states of a qubit are exponentially faster than any possible deterministic classical algorithm [26].Subsequently, it has been demonstrated that quantum mechanics can model human mental states better than any existing classical model [27][28][29][30].In particular, it was suggested that a quantum-like superposition of human mental states can explain human preference, anomalies of decision-making and perception of optical illusions [31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41].It is noteworthy that the models proposed in the cited papers are mostly phenomenological, i.e. they describe the psychological and behavioural science phenomena without necessarily conforming to the existing theories.Despite perceived limitations that are yet to be investigated in more detail, this approach has proven useful for analysis of complex experimental data, serving as a valuable tool for researchers working across several disciplines [42][43][44].
relevant to gender fluidity, physical and mathematical principles underpinning the nonlinear dynamics [25] could be used to create a viable model of gender fluidity.Indeed, using the fundamental principles of physics we can comprehend and challenge the common binary view of male and female through the prism of our basic understanding of nature.For example, let us consider a traditional digital computer and a quantum computer [26].Similarly to an on/off light switch, a bit of a digital computer is always in one of two physical states corresponding to the binary values '0' and '1' .However, a quantum computer uses a quantum bit (qubit) that can be in states |0⟩=[1 0] and |1⟩=[0 1].These states are analogous to the '0' and '1' binary states of the classical digital computer.However, a qubit also exists in a continuum of states between |0⟩ and |1⟩, i.e. its states are a superposition |ψ⟩=α|0⟩ + β|1⟩ with |α| 2 + |β| 2 =1.Computational algorithms based on measurements of the states of a qubit are exponentially faster than any possible deterministic classical algorithm [26].Subsequently, it has been demonstrated that quantum mechanics can model human mental states better than any existing classical model [27][28][29][30].In particular, it was suggested that a quantum-like superposition of human mental states can explain human preference, anomalies of decision-making and perception of optical illusions [31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41].It is noteworthy that the models proposed in the cited papers are mostly phenomenological, i.e. they describe the psychological and behavioural science phenomena without necessarily conforming to the existing theories.Despite perceived limitations that are yet to be investigated in more detail, this approach has proven useful for analysis of complex experimental data, serving as a valuable tool for researchers working across several disciplines [42][43][44].
On the surface, behavioural science and physics seem to be two disparate fields of research. However, a closer examination of problems solved by them reveals that they are uniquely related to one another. Exemplified by the theories of quantum mind, cognition and decision-making, this unique relationship serves as the topic of this chapter. Surveying the current academic journal papers and scholarly monographs, we present an alternative vision of the role of quantum mechanics in the modern studies of human perception, behaviour and decision-making. To that end, we mostly aim to answer the 'how' question, deliberately avoiding complex mathematical concepts but developing a technically simple computational code that the readers can modify to design their own quantum-inspired models. We also present several practical examples of the application of the computation code and outline several plausible scenarios, where quantum models based on the proposed do-it-yourself model kit can help understand the differences between the behaviour of individuals and social groups.
On the surface, behavioural data science and physics seem to be two disparate fields of research. However, a closer examination of problems solved by them reveals that they are uniquely related to one another. Exemplified by the theories of quantum mind, cognition and decision-making, this unique relationship serves as the topic of this chapter. Surveying the current academic journal papers and scholarly monographs, we present an alternative vision of the role of quantum mechanics in the modern studies of human perception, behaviour and decision-making. To that end, we mostly aim to answer the ‘ how ’ question, deliberately avoiding complex mathematical concepts but developing a technically simple computational code that the readers can modify to design their own quantum-inspired models. We also present several practical examples of the application of the computation code and outline several plausible scenarios, where quantum models based on the proposed do-it-yourself model kit can help understand the differences between the behaviour of individuals and social groups.
In recent decades it has become common throughout the social sciences to think of the human mind simply as a very complex computer. Drawing on an older materialist metaphor of the mind as a machine, the “computational” model of the mind took off after the mid-century invention of the computer and subsequent cognitive revolution in psychology, and has since permeated the social sciences in the form of rational choice and other prominent social theories. The contributions of this model have been huge; but it has always been assumed that the computations going on inside our heads are classical. Quantum brain theory challenges this assumption by proposing that the mind is actually a quantum computer. Classical computers are based on binary digits or “bits” with well defined values (0 or 1), which are transformed in serial operations by a program into an output. Quantum computers in contrast are based on “qubits” that can be in superpositions of 0 and 1 at the same time and also interact non-locally, enabling every qubit to be operated on simultaneously. The idea of a quantum computer was first proposed in the 1980s and is still far from being realized technologically, but it has fired the imagination of scientists by raising the prospect of unimaginable increases in computational power, and other neat tricks besides. If quantum brain theory is true, then our model of the mind would be similarly radically altered, irrespective of the issue of consciousness. Quantum brain theory hypothesizes that quantum processes at the elementary level are amplified and kept in superposition at the level of the organism, and then, through downward causation constrain what is going on deep within the brain. On this view, information from the environment is continuously transformed from the macro- to the micro-level, and then channeled back upward into an “internal quantum state,”
At first glance, quantum mechanics and behavioural science seem worlds apart -- one rooted in equations and particles, the other in thoughts and choices. Yet, emerging research reveals a profound and unexpected bridge between them. This chapter explores that bridge through quantum models of cognition and decision-making, showing how principles from quantum mechanics can help understand, and even predict, the complexities of human perception, behaviour and societal dynamics. We introduce a computationally accessible framework grounded in quantum theory, designed to model ambiguity, bias and choice in a way that classical logic cannot. Drawing on interdisciplinary sources, we demonstrate how this approach not only enriches our understanding of individual cognition but also extends to AI, video game design, financial behaviour and collective decision-making in society. Through vivid case studies -- from optical illusions in video games to decision biases in economic, defence and political contexts -- we show how quantum models offer new explanatory and predictive power. Thus, this chapter invites readers from all professional backgrounds to reimagine cognition and decision-making, opening new avenues for science, technology and human understanding.
Behold your computer. Your computer represents the culmination of years of technological advancements beginning with the early ideas of Charles Babbage (1791-1871) and eventual creation of the first computer by German engineer Konrad Zuse in 1941. Surprisingly however, the high speed modern computer sitting in front of you is fundamentally no different from its gargantuan 30 ton ancestors, which were equipped with some 18000 vacuum tubes and 500 miles of wiring! Although computers have become more compact and considerably faster in performing their task, the task remains the same: to manipulate and interpret an encoding of binary bits into a useful computational result. A bit is a fundamental unit of information, classically represented as a 0 or 1 in your digital computer. Each classical bit is physically realized through a macroscopic physical system, such as the magnetization on a hard disk or the charge on a capacitor. A document, for example, comprised of n-characters stored on the hard drive of a typical computer is accordingly described by a string of 8n zeros and ones. Herein lies a key difference between your classical computer and a quantum computer. Where a classical computer obeys the well understood laws of classical physics, a quantum computer is a device that harnesses physical phenomenon unique to quantum mechanics (especially quantum interference) to realize a fundamentally new mode of information processing. In a quantum computer, the fundamental unit of information (called a quantum bit or qubit), is not binary but rather more quaternary in nature. This qubit property arises as a direct consequence of its adherence to the laws of quantum mechanics which differ radically from the laws of classical physics. A qubit can exist not only in a state corresponding to the logical state 0 or 1 as in a classical bit, but also in states corresponding to a blend or superposition of these classical states. In other words, a qubit can exist as a zero, a one, or simultaneously as both 0 and 1, with a numerical coefficient representing the probability for each state. This may seem counterintuitive because everyday phenomenon are governed by classical physics, not quantum mechanics – which takes over at the atomic level. This rather difficult concept is perhaps best explained through an experiment. Consider Figure 1 below:
At first glance, quantum mechanics and behavioural science seem worlds apart---one rooted in equations and particles, the other in thoughts and choices. Yet, emerging research reveals a profound and unexpected bridge between them. This chapter explores that bridge through quantum models of cognition and decision-making, showing how principles from quantum mechanics can help understand, and even predict, the complexities of human perception, behaviour and societal dynamics. We introduce a computationally accessible framework grounded in quantum theory, designed to model ambiguity, bias and choice in a way that classical logic cannot. Drawing on interdisciplinary sources, we demonstrate how this approach not only enriches our understanding of individual cognition but also extends to AI, video game design, financial behaviour and collective decision-making in society. Through vivid case studies---from optical illusions in video games to decision biases in economic, defence and political contexts---we show how quantum models offer new explanatory and predictive power. Thus, this chapter invites readers from all professional backgrounds to reimagine cognition and decision-making, opening new avenues for science, technology and human understanding.