IsaacKing avatar
Isaac King
closes Jan 1, 2027
If I offer someone on a plane $20 to take off their mask for the remainder of the flight, will they accept?
31%
chance

Inspired by https://stevekirsch.substack.com/p/i-offered-people-10000-to-take-off

If this market gets enough interest or I otherwise gain at least $20 of motivation, I may choose to do this on a future flight. (I fly several times a month.) This market resolves if/when I do that, based on the result.

I won't make the offer to anyone for whom I have significant additional information about their masking preferences past the simple fact that they're wearing one. (e.g. I won't ask someone who has expressed a verbal opinion to me about whether they'd accept, or is wearing a shirt with some statement about the importance of masking on it.)

I'll offer no later than halfway through the flight.

My offer will be phrased along the lines of "I have a weird experiment that some aquaintances and I are trying to resolve. No problem if you don't want to accept, I know this is strange, it's just an offer that you can accept or decline as you wish." No substantive political or scientific claims will be made unless they ask for further information, and I'll try to avoid implying that I'd prefer a certain outcome.

The "end of the flight" for the purposes of this market is defined as the moment the plane touches down on the ground.

I'll give them the $20 as soon as they accept and take off their mask. (I don't want them to have to worry I'm going to renege on the offer once we land.) If they put it back on after I give them the $20, I'll try to get my $20 back and this market will resolve NO. (Unless they only put it back on shortly before we land, in which case I'll be lenient and still let that count.)

To let traders have more fun, if I run this experiment, I won't resolve the market immediately. Instead I'll let people ask me questions about the context, such as various characteristics of the person I asked and my approach, and they can bet on my answers. Then afterwards I'll reveal what happened and resolve the market. (Ideally I'd just share that info live, but I won't have internet on the plane, so I'll just simulate that after I land.)

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IsaacKing avatar
Isaac King

I'm surprised nobody has asked me more questions about the plan. I suspect the correct probability depends heavily on questions like

  • Will I be wearing a mask myself?

  • Will I try to engage in friendly chatter with them first, or just spring the offer on them out of nowhere?

Gen avatar
Genzybought Ṁ100 of YES

@IsaacKing Honestly I think even with 0 rizz and the worst possible approach, it’s at least 50% likely.

In fact, I’d say that acceptance probably has nothing to do with your approach, and more to do with the person you ask.

Younger target = more likely

Older target = less likely

Female = less likely

Male = more likely

I’d put the chances of a <30yo male accepting at like 90%

Gen avatar
Genzyis predicting YES at 27%

@Gen Also if that person is

Alone = less likely

With a friend = more likely

IsaacKing avatar
Isaac King

@Gen Interesting. I agree that all those factors seem relevant, but I actually give them the opposite sign!

I think most people wearing masks on planes tend to be doing it not for their own safety, but out of a sense of duty to society/tribal signaling. Young people are more likely to have a fierce tribal affiliation in the culture war, so I think a younger person is less likely to accept.

I also think being with a friend is a significant increase in the desire to signal tribal loyalty, and that should reduce the acceptance probability too.

IsaacKing avatar
Isaac King

Here's what I'll do, to let traders have more fun. If I run this experiment, I won't resolve the market immediately. Instead I'll let people ask me questions about the context, such as various characteristics of the person I asked and my approach, and they can bet on my answers. Then afterwards I'll reveal what happened and resolve the market.

(Ideally I'd just share that info live, but I won't have internet on the plane, so I'll just simulate that after I land.)

JimAusman avatar
Jim Ausmanis predicting YES at 24%

I usually wear my mask in the airport and until they turn on the air circulation on the plane, then take it off. I would certainly take your money if you offered it soon enough!

MP avatar
MP

Are masks required in such plane? A recent flight I took required masks, but some people, including me, took their masks off whenever the attendants left our area.

IsaacKing avatar
Isaac King

@MP I don't believe US flights still require masks.

MP avatar
MPbought Ṁ10 of YES

@IsaacKing hm, it was an international flight

IsaacKing avatar
Isaac King

@MP Some countries still require masks, so if you were flying to/from one of those countries, that's probably why.

Back when Canada required masks, flights from Canada to the US required masks until we were parked at the gate. This was prior to deboarding, so this made no sense whatsoever, but that was the rule.

MP avatar
MPis predicting YES at 24%

@IsaacKing yes, I was flying from Colombia to the US.

jonsimon avatar
Jon Simonbought Ṁ10 of NO

People wearing masks at this point are doing it because they feel it's very important to their health. These aren't the folks who begrudgingly did it a year or two ago because airlines were forcing them. No way are they going to feel like their health (or their perception of their health) is worth $20.

jonsimon avatar
Jon Simonis predicting NO at 28%

@jonsimon Although I could maybe see it working if the person asking was an usually charismatic charmer. Those people carry around a reality distortion field with them. Might make for a fun follow-up experiment.

IsaacKing avatar
Isaac King

@jonsimon My charisma is unusually low, does that count?

jonsimon avatar
Jon Simonis predicting NO at 29%

@IsaacKing Who knows, maybe it wraps around?

dgga avatar
DUnlimited

@jonsimon @IsaacKing the good old horseshoe charisma theory

JimHays avatar
Jim Hays

I’m not sure why Kirsch thinks this proved anything. People don’t casually give away $10,000 (or $100,000!). If Kirsch didn’t bring a briefcase of cash or a contract, there’s no reason the other person should believe Kirsch’s offer is credible.

I would guess that people are more likely to accept the credible $20 offer compared with Kirsh’s incredible version.

harfe avatar
harfebought Ṁ10 of NO

@JimHays related, but even for stakes of $20 things like "will he actually pay me what he promised"? might enter considerations.

Maybe it would be better to give a $20 bill at the beginning, and not promise to pay at the end of the flight.

JimHays avatar
Jim Hays

@harfe Ah right, I wasn’t thinking about the payment timing in the $20 case. It’s credible if the exchange happens immediately, but I agree it’s less-so otherwise.

akrasiac avatar
Joelbought Ṁ30 of NO

@JimHays Agreed. I think this experiment would make more sense if you gave them the $20 up front, and then asked for it back if they didn't follow through. I think the kind of person who wears a mask on a flight is very unlikely to lie to you to get $20.

IsaacKing avatar
Isaac King

@JimHays Yeah, that's why this is a real offer rather than a hypothetical to which people can costlessly answer "no" and gain signaling points.

IsaacKing avatar
Isaac King

@harfe Good idea. I'll change the plan unless anyone objects.

IsaacKing avatar
Isaac King
JimAusman avatar
Jim Ausmanis predicting YES at 24%

@JimHays Kirsch was not offering $10,000, it was all a hypothetical. Though he certainly does seem have some strange crusade against responsible mask wearing.

akrasiac avatar
Joelis predicting NO at 24%

@JimAusman I don't think it's all that strange. Wearing a mask in an airplane is a pefectly reasonable thing to do. Not wearing one is also perfectly reasonable. Reasonable people are willing to change from one reasonable thing to another for a relatively small incentive. If even large incentives would not induce someone to change, that suggests they may not have a balanced perspective on mask-wearing.

JimHays avatar
Jim Hays

@akrasiac Or they might be hoping to find a fast way to end a conversation they don’t wish to engage in

jfjurchen avatar
J. F. Jurchenbought Ṁ10 of NO

$10 in second to last paragraph is presumably meant to be $20?

IsaacKing avatar
Isaac King

@jfjurchen Yes, thank you. Fixed.