Threat of Infectious Disease

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iris Wang ◽  
Nicholas Michael Michalak ◽  
Joshua Ackerman
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Disease ◽  
Immune System ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Direct Impact ◽  
Specific Content ◽  
Human Personality ◽  
Behavioral Immune System ◽  
Psychological Models ◽  
Motivational Structure

In this chapter, we consider whether individual differences might play role in how a behavioral immune system operates and what that implies for human personality. We first highlight the theoretical reasons to expect variation in pathogen management mechanisms and the psychological models relevant to these mechanisms (e.g., behavioral immune system, disgust). Next, we review research on the direct impact of pathogen threats on specific personality attributes. Subsequently, we place relevant individual differences within a motivational structure in order to organize specific content domains of personality linked to pathogen threats. Finally, we propose some unanswered questions for the field that may be promising directions for future research.

scholarly journals Generalized or Origin-Specific Out-Group Prejudice?: The Role of Temporary and Chronic Pathogen-Avoidance Motivation in Intergroup Relations

2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 147470491982685 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tingting Ji ◽  
Joshua M. Tybur ◽  
Mark van Vugt
Keyword(s):  
Immune System ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Disgust Sensitivity ◽  
Total N ◽  
Behavioral Immune System ◽  
Avoidance Motivation ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Meta Analyses ◽  
Pathogen Avoidance

Researchers have proposed that intergroup prejudice is partially caused by behavioral immune system mechanisms. Across four studies (total N = 1,849), we used both experimental (pathogen priming) and individual differences (pathogen disgust sensitivity [PDS]) approaches to test whether the behavioral immune system influences prejudice toward immigrants indiscriminately (the generalized out-group prejudice hypothesis) or specifically toward immigrants from a pathogen-rich ecology (the origin-specific out-group prejudice hypothesis). Internal meta-analyses lend some support to both hypotheses. At the experimental level, pathogen primes had no effect on attitudes toward origin-unspecified immigrants or immigrants from a pathogen-rich ecology. At the individual differences level, PDS has a unique negative effect on comfort with immigrants from pathogen-rich ecologies but not on comfort with immigrants from unspecified ecologies. However, pathogen disgust sensitivity was negatively related to the decision to allow entry to both origin-unspecified immigrants and immigrants from a pathogen-rich ecology.

scholarly journals Stigmatization of Chinese and Asian-looking people during the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia E. Koller ◽  
Karoline Villinger ◽  
Nadine C. Lages ◽  
Isabel Brünecke ◽  
Joke M. Debbeler ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Disease ◽  
Immune System ◽  
Adaptive Response ◽  
Air Travel ◽  
Good News ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Behavioral Immune System ◽  
Global Spread ◽  
Time Periods ◽  
Infectious Disease Threat

Abstract Background The outbreak and global spread of COVID-19 was accompanied by an increase in reports of stigmatization of Chinese and Asian-looking people. The behavioral immune system provides a framework for stigmatization in response to infectious disease threats. Specifically, stigmatization might increase with rising levels of infectious disease threat. The present study aimed to examine this hypothesis during the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods As part of the “EUCLID” project (https://euclid.dbvis.de), a total of 5011 persons from Germany were surveyed via an online-questionnaire between February 2nd and April 3rd, 2020, covering the progression of the COVID-19 pandemic over three time periods which were defined by critical events. Results There was no evidence for an increase in the stigmatization of Chinese and Asian-looking people across three topics, that is personal proximity, air travel, and medical measures upon arrival from China. Conclusions The present findings provide good news in that participants showed an adaptive response to the infectious disease threat rather than displaying increased stigmatization. Further research is necessary to specify the conditions that increase the risk of stigmatization in response to infectious disease threats.

scholarly journals Preregistered Direct Replication of “Sick Body, Vigilant Mind: The Biological Immune System Activates the Behavioral Immune System”

2020 ◽  
Vol 31 (11) ◽  
pp. 1461-1469 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua M. Tybur ◽  
Benedict C. Jones ◽  
Lisa M. DeBruine ◽  
Joshua M. Ackerman ◽  
Vanessa Fasolt
Keyword(s):  
Immune System ◽  
Original Study ◽  
Future Research ◽  
University Of Michigan ◽  
Subsequent Infection ◽  
Behavioral Immune System ◽  
Current Article ◽  
Biological Immune System ◽  
The University ◽  
Pathogen Avoidance

The tendency to attend to and avoid cues to pathogens varies across individuals and contexts. Researchers have proposed that this variation is partially driven by immunological vulnerability to infection, though support for this hypothesis is equivocal. One key piece of evidence (Miller & Maner, 2011) shows that participants who have recently been ill—and hence may have a reduced ability to combat subsequent infection—allocate more attention to faces with infectious-disease cues than do participants who have not recently been ill. The current article describes a direct replication of this study using a sample of 402 individuals from the University of Michigan, the University of Glasgow, and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam—more than 4 times the sample size of the original study. No effect of illness recency on attentional bias for disfigured faces emerged. Though it did not support the original finding, this replication provides suggestions for future research on the psychological underpinnings of pathogen avoidance.

scholarly journals Integrating Concepts of Physiological and Behavioral Resistance to Parasites

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caroline R. Amoroso
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Disease ◽  
Evolutionary Dynamics ◽  
Learning Processes ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Individual Experience ◽  
Parasite Transmission ◽  
Behavioral Immune System ◽  
Incubation Periods ◽  
Physiological Resistance ◽  
Behavioral Resistance

Conceptual parallels between physiological and behavioral forms of resistance to parasites have led to the development of terminology like “the behavioral immune system” to refer to behaviors that combat parasites. I extend this metaphor by applying findings from research on physiological resistance to generate predictions for the ecology and evolution of behavioral resistance (here, synonymous with avoidance). In certain cases, behavioral resistance may follow similar evolutionary dynamics to physiological resistance. However, more research on the nature of the costs of behavioral resistance is needed, including how parasite transmission mode may be a key determinant of these costs. In addition, “acquiring” behavioral resistance may require specific mechanisms separate from classical forms of conditioning, due to constraints on timing of host learning processes and parasite incubation periods. Given existing literature, behavioral resistance to infectious disease seems more likely to be innate than acquired within the lifetime of an individual, raising new questions about how individual experience could shape anti-parasite behaviors. This review provides a framework for using existing literature on physiological resistance to generate predictions for behavioral resistance, and highlights several important directions for future research based on this comparison.

Individual Differences in the Behavioral Immune System and the Emergence of Cultural Systems

2012 ◽  
Vol 43 (4) ◽  
pp. 174-184 ◽  
Author(s):  
Russ Clay ◽  
John A. Terrizzi ◽  
Natalie J. Shook
Keyword(s):  
Immune System ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Cultural Variation ◽  
Behavioral Immune System ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Domain Specific ◽  
Psychological Mechanisms ◽  
System A ◽  
Cultural Systems ◽  
Pathogen Prevalence

Cultural variation may be evoked through the interaction between domain-specific psychological mechanisms and environmental conditions (Gangestad, Haselton, & Buss, 2006 ). One such constellation of mechanisms is the behavioral immune system, a cluster of psychological processes evolved to promote disease-avoidance ( Schaller, 2006 ). Previous research demonstrated that higher levels of both historic and contemporary pathogen prevalence are predictive of collectivism across geopolitical regions ( Fincher, Thornhill, Murray, & Schaller, 2008 ). Across two studies, we demonstrate that individual differences in behavioral immune system reactivity (e.g., disgust sensitivity, germ aversion) are associated with variable endorsement of a vertical collectivist cultural orientation and differential value priorities, which are indicative of cultural differences. These findings provide support at an individual level for the proposition of evoked culture.

scholarly journals Behavioral immune tradeoffs: Interpersonal value relaxes social pathogen avoidance

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua M. Tybur ◽  
Debra Lieberman ◽  
Lei Fan ◽  
Tom Kupfer ◽  
Reinout E. de Vries
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Disease ◽  
Social Networks ◽  
Immune System ◽  
Pathogen Transmission ◽  
Continuous Measure ◽  
System Research ◽  
Behavioral Immune System ◽  
Social Partners ◽  
Pathogen Avoidance ◽  
Interpersonal Value

Behavioral immune system research has illuminated how people detect and avoid signs of infectious disease. But how do we regulate exposure to pathogens that produce no symptoms in their hosts? This manuscript tests the proposition that estimates of interpersonal value are used for this task. Three studies (N = 1694), each conducted using U.S. samples, are consistent with this proposition: people are less averse to engaging in infection-risky acts not only with friends relative to foes, but also with honest and agreeable strangers relative to dishonest and disagreeable ones. Further, a continuous measure of how much a person values a target covaries with comfort with infection-risky acts with that target, even within relationship categories. Findings indicate that social prophylactic motivations arise not only from cues to infectiousness, but also interpersonal value. Consequently, pathogen transmission within social networks might be exacerbated by relaxed contamination aversions with highly valued social partners.

Recognition of Fungal Components by the Host Immune System

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 245-264 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura C. García-Carnero ◽  
José A. Martínez-Álvarez ◽  
Luis M. Salazar-García ◽  
Nancy E. Lozoya-Pérez ◽  
Sandra E. González-Hernández ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Immune System ◽  
Histoplasma Capsulatum ◽  
Paracoccidioides Brasiliensis ◽  
Sporothrix Schenckii ◽  
Clinical Importance ◽  
Pathogenic Fungi ◽  
Diagnostic Tools ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Host Immune System ◽  
Fungal Antigens

: By being the first point of contact of the fungus with the host, the cell wall plays an important role in the pathogenesis, having many molecules that participate as antigens that are recognized by immune cells, and also that help the fungus to establish infection. The main molecules reported to trigger an immune response are chitin, glucans, oligosaccharides, proteins, melanin, phospholipids, and others, being present in the principal pathogenic fungi with clinical importance worldwide, such as Histoplasma capsulatum, Paracoccidioides brasiliensis, Aspergillus fumigatus, Candida albicans, Cryptococcus neoformans, Blastomyces dermatitidis, and Sporothrix schenckii. Knowledge and understanding of how the immune system recognizes and responds to fungal antigens are relevant for the future research and development of new diagnostic tools and treatments for the control of mycosis caused by these fungi.

scholarly journals Involvement of Probiotics and Postbiotics in the Immune System Modulation

Biologics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 89-110
Author(s):  
Neslihan Yeşilyurt ◽  
Birsen Yılmaz ◽  
Duygu Ağagündüz ◽  
Raffaele Capasso
Keyword(s):  
Immune System ◽  
Pharmaceutical Industry ◽  
Intestinal Microbiota ◽  
Health Benefits ◽  
The Body ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Immune Systems ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
Immune System Modulation ◽  
Molecular Patterns

Intestinal microbiota interacts with other systems, especially the immune system, which is responsible for protecting the body by recognizing “stranger” (pathogen associated molecular patterns-PAMPs) and “danger” (damage-associated molecular patterns-DAMPs) molecular motifs. In this manner, it plays an important role in the pathogenesis of various diseases and health. Despite the use of probiotics that modulate the intestinal microbiota in providing health benefits and in the treatment of diseases, there are some possible concerns about the possibility of developing adverse effects, especially in people with suppressed immune systems. Since probiotics provide health benefits with bioactive compounds, studies are carried out on the use of products containing non-living probiotic microorganisms (paraprobiotics) and/or their metabolites (postbiotics) instead of probiotic products. It is even reported that these microbial compounds have more immunomodulatory activities than living microorganisms via some possible mechanism and eliminates some disadvantages of probiotics. Considering the increasing use of functional foods in health and disease, further studies are needed with respect to the benefits and advantages of parabiotic and/or postbiotic use in the food and pharmaceutical industry as well as immune system modulation. Although probiotics have been extensive studied for a long time, it seems that postbiotics are promising tools for future research and applications according to the recent literature. This review aimed to evaluate the interaction of probiotics and postbiotics with the immune systems and also their advantages and disadvantages in the area of food-pharmaceutical industry and immune system modulation.

scholarly journals Health Among Sexual Minority Older Adults: Individual Differences and Implications for Improving Health

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 860-860
Author(s):  
Britney Wardecker ◽  
Cara Exten
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Sexual Minority ◽  
Health Care Access ◽  
Psychological Health ◽  
Negative Mood ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Care Access ◽  
Age Related

Abstract The number of sexual minority (SM) older adults is increasing rapidly, yet this population continues to be underrepresented in research (Fredriksen-Goldsen & Kim, 2017) and experiences significant disparities in health and health care access (Fredriksen-Goldsen, 2016; Wallace et al., 2011). In the current symposium, we analyze data from U.S. national probability samples of middle-aged and older adults (MIDUS, HRS, NESARC-III) to consider how age-related concerns and challenges may be experienced differently by SM individuals compared to their heterosexual counterparts. This symposium includes novel methods and statistical tools, such as daily diary assessments, multilevel modeling, and time-varying effects models. Individual presentations evaluate how: (1) SM women, compared to heterosexual women, may respond differently to menopause through norms and values surrounding womanhood; (2) midlife and older SM individuals use alcohol and cigarettes more frequently across a typical week than their heterosexual counterparts, though their substance use may not be tied to common triggers (e.g., negative mood, stress); (3) despite bisexual older adults reporting more health problems compared to lesbian and gay counterparts, they are less prepared for health concerns and crises (e.g., reporting a lower number of valid wills); and (4) the prevalence of depression and anxiety varies across age, such that older SM adults—especially women—are particularly vulnerable to psychological health problems. These presentations collectively examine complex issues facing older SM adults while emphasizing individual differences (i.e., women’s concerns, bisexual people’s issues). We discuss challenges in researching this growing at-risk population, and we highlight areas of future research and intervention.

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