Before revision:  Here, we introduce a novel parsimonious  model, grounded in evolutionary game theory, able to capture decision-making dynamics over heterogeneous time scales. Using real data, we analyse three case studies in the spreading of gonorrhoea, the 1918--19 Spanish flu and COVID-19. Behavioural factors shaping the course of the epidemic are intelligibly mapped onto a minimal set of model parameters , and their interplay gives rise to characteristic phenomena , such as sustained periodic outbreaks, multiple epidemic waves, or  a successful eradication of the disease.
After revision:  Here, we introduce a novel parsimonious model, grounded in evolutionary game theory, able to capture decision-making and epidemics co-evolve, shaped by an interplay of factors mapped onto a minimal set of model parameters , and their interplay gives rise to characteristic phenomena , such as sustained periodic outbreaks, multiple epidemic waves, or a successful eradication of the disease.