Behavioral and Brain Sciences

Table of Contents - April 2012 - Volume 35, Issue 02  

Open Peer Commentary

Coping with germs and people: Investigating the link between pathogen threat and human social cognition

Carlos David Navarretea1

a1 Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824. cdn@msu.edu www.cdnresearch.net

Abstract

Group assortative biases are stronger in regions where pathogen stress has been historically prevalent. Pushing the logic of this approach, extensions should include investigations of how cultural norms related to prosociality and relational striving may also covary with regional pathogen stress. Likewise, the pan-specific observation that diseased animals show decreased motor activity to facilitate recovery suggests that norms relevant to sickness behaviors may also vary as a function of regional parasite stress.

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