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Merrell WN, Choi S, Ackerman JM. When and Why People Conceal Infectious Disease. Psychol Sci 2024; 35:215-225. [PMID: 38265420 DOI: 10.1177/09567976231221990] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2024] Open
Abstract
People sick with infectious illnesses face negative social outcomes, like exclusion, and may take steps to conceal their illnesses from others. In 10 studies of past, current, and projected illness, we examined the prevalence and predictors of infection concealment in adult samples of U.S. university students, health-care employees, and online crowdsourced workers (total N = 4,110). About 75% reported concealing illness in interpersonal interactions, possibly placing others in harm's way. Concealment motives were largely social (e.g., wanting to attend events like parties) and achievement oriented (e.g., completing work objectives). Disease characteristics, including potential harm and illness immediacy, also influenced concealment decisions. People imagining harmful (vs. mild) infections concealed illness less frequently, whereas participants who were actually sick concealed frequently regardless of illness harm, suggesting state-specific biases underlying concealment decisions. Disease concealment appears to be a widely prevalent behavior by which concealers trade off risks to others in favor of their own goals, creating potentially important public-health consequences.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Soyeon Choi
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan
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2
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Iyer CS, Schrock JM, Johnson A, Gorbach PM, Siminski S, Newcomb ME, McDade TW, Mustanski B. Infectious Illness Symptoms Are Associated with Elevated Anxiety in a Sample of Sexual and Gender Minority Young Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Int J Behav Med 2024:10.1007/s12529-023-10251-5. [PMID: 38241000 PMCID: PMC11258203 DOI: 10.1007/s12529-023-10251-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/12/2023] [Indexed: 07/20/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND To evaluate whether infectious illness symptoms (IIS) are associated with generalized anxiety symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic in sexual/gender (SGM) minority young adults assigned male at birth (AMAB). METHOD Four hundred eighteen participants (median age = 25; range, 20-40) were recruited through RADAR, an ongoing Chicago-based cohort study of SGM-AMAB between September 2020 and February 2021. Participants completed online surveys. A subset (n = 145) provided dried blood spot samples to assess SARS-CoV-2 serostatus. RESULTS One hundred twenty participants (28.7%) had GAD-7 scores of 10 or greater, which indicates generalized anxiety symptoms that may be clinically significant. In a binomial logistic regression model adjusting age, gender identity, race/ethnicity, substance use, and HIV status, the authors found that having a higher IIS count since March 1, 2020, was associated with greater odds of having a GAD-7 score of 10 or greater (OR = 1.14; 95% CI, 1.04, 1.25; P = 0.007). This effect was more pronounced in a binomial logistic regression model adjusting for the same covariates but using current IIS count as the independent variable (OR = 1.39; 95% CI, 1.13, 1.74; P = 0.002). CONCLUSION Among SGM-AMAB young adults, those who experienced ISS reported higher scores on the GAD-7, a widely used and validated screening measure for generalized anxiety symptoms. These findings highlight the importance of screening for anxiety disorders when patients present with IIS in clinical settings and psychobehavioral health follow-ups when indicated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chitra S Iyer
- Institute for Sexual and Gender Minority Health and Wellbeing, Northwestern University, 625 N Michigan Ave, Suite 14, Chicago, IL, 60611, USA
| | - Joshua M Schrock
- Institute for Sexual and Gender Minority Health and Wellbeing, Northwestern University, 625 N Michigan Ave, Suite 14, Chicago, IL, 60611, USA
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, 1810 Hinman Avenue, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA
| | - Anthony Johnson
- Institute for Sexual and Gender Minority Health and Wellbeing, Northwestern University, 625 N Michigan Ave, Suite 14, Chicago, IL, 60611, USA
| | - Pamina M Gorbach
- Department of Epidemiology, University of California, Los Angeles, 650 Charles E Young Dr S, Room 41-295, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
| | - Sue Siminski
- Frontier Science, 4033 Maple Road, Amherst, NY, 14226, USA
| | - Michael E Newcomb
- Institute for Sexual and Gender Minority Health and Wellbeing, Northwestern University, 625 N Michigan Ave, Suite 14, Chicago, IL, 60611, USA
- Department of Medical Social Sciences, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, 633 N. St Clair Street, 19th Floor, Chicago, IL, 60611, USA
| | - Thomas W McDade
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, 1810 Hinman Avenue, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA
- Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, 2040 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA
| | - Brian Mustanski
- Institute for Sexual and Gender Minority Health and Wellbeing, Northwestern University, 625 N Michigan Ave, Suite 14, Chicago, IL, 60611, USA.
- Department of Medical Social Sciences, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, 633 N. St Clair Street, 19th Floor, Chicago, IL, 60611, USA.
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3
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Leung TS, Zeng G, Maylott SE, Martinez SN, Jakobsen KV, Simpson EA. Infection detection in faces: Children's development of pathogen avoidance. Child Dev 2024; 95:e35-e46. [PMID: 37589080 DOI: 10.1111/cdev.13983] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2022] [Revised: 06/20/2023] [Accepted: 07/05/2023] [Indexed: 08/18/2023]
Abstract
This study examined the development of children's avoidance and recognition of sickness using face photos from people with natural, acute, contagious illness. In a U.S. sample of fifty-seven 4- to 5-year-olds (46% male, 70% White), fifty-two 8- to 9-year-olds (26% male, 62% White), and 51 adults (59% male, 61% White), children and adults avoided and recognized sick faces (ds ranged from 0.38 to 2.26). Both avoidance and recognition improved with age. Interestingly, 4- to 5-year-olds' avoidance of sick faces positively correlated with their recognition, suggesting stable individual differences in these emerging skills. Together, these findings are consistent with a hypothesized immature but functioning and flexible behavioral immune system emerging early in development. Characterizing children's sickness perception may help design interventions to improve health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiffany S Leung
- Department of Psychology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida, USA
| | - Guangyu Zeng
- Department of Psychology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida, USA
- Division of Applied Psychology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, China
| | - Sarah E Maylott
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
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Dorsey AF, Miller EM. Revisiting geophagy: An evolved sickness behavior to microbiome-mediated gastrointestinal inflammation. Evol Anthropol 2023; 32:325-335. [PMID: 37661330 DOI: 10.1002/evan.22004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2023] [Revised: 07/19/2023] [Accepted: 08/21/2023] [Indexed: 09/05/2023]
Abstract
Geophagy, the consumption of clay or similar substances, is known as an evolved behavior that protects vulnerable populations, such as pregnant women and children, against gastrointestinal injury. However, perplexing questions remain, like the presence of geophagy in the absence of overt gastrointestinal infection and the potential causal relationship between geophagy and iron deficiency anemia. In this review, we hypothesize that geophagy is an inflammation-mediated sickness behavior regulated via the vagus nerve. We further hypothesize that the gut microbiome plays a critical role in mediating the relationship between inflammation and geophagy. By including inflammation and the microbiome within the existing protection hypothesis, we can explain how subclinical gastrointestinal states induce geophagy. Furthermore, we can explain how gastrointestinal inflammation is responsible for both geophagy and iron-deficiency anemia, explaining why the two phenomena frequently co-occur. Ultimately, defining geophagy as a sickness behavior allows us to integrate the gut-brain axis into geophagy research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Achsah F Dorsey
- Department of Anthropology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Elizabeth M Miller
- Department of Anthropology, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA
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5
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Steinkopf L. The suffering ape hypothesis. Behav Brain Sci 2023; 46:e78. [PMID: 37154368 DOI: 10.1017/s0140525x2200190x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
The "fearful ape hypothesis" could be regarded as one aspect of a more general "suffering ape hypothesis": Humans are more likely to experience negative emotions (e.g., fear, sadness), aversive symptoms (e.g., pain, fever), and to engage in self-harming behavior (e.g., cutting, suicide attempts) because these might motivate affiliative, consolatory, and supportive behavior from their prosocial environment thereby enhancing evolutionary fitness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leander Steinkopf
- Placebo Lab, Institute of Medical Psychology, LMU Munich, 80336 Munich, Germany ; www.leandersteinkopf.de
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6
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Behavioral and physiological sensitivity to natural sick faces. Brain Behav Immun 2023; 110:195-211. [PMID: 36893923 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2023.03.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2022] [Revised: 03/03/2023] [Accepted: 03/03/2023] [Indexed: 03/11/2023] Open
Abstract
The capacity to rapidly detect and avoid sick people may be adaptive. Given that faces are reliably available, as well as rapidly detected and processed, they may provide health information that influences social interaction. Prior studies used faces that were manipulated to appear sick (e.g., editing photos, inducing inflammatory response); however, responses to naturally sick faces remain largely unexplored. We tested whether adults detected subtle cues of genuine, acute, potentially contagious illness in face photos compared to the same individuals when healthy. We tracked illness symptoms and severity with the Sickness Questionnaire and Common Cold Questionnaire. We also checked that sick and healthy photos were matched on low-level features. We found that participants (N = 109) rated sick faces, compared to healthy faces, as sicker, more dangerous, and eliciting more unpleasant feelings. Participants (N = 90) rated sick faces as more likely to be avoided, more tired, and more negative in expression than healthy faces. In a passive-viewing eye-tracking task, participants (N = 50) looked longer at healthy than sick faces, especially the eye region, suggesting people may be more drawn to healthy conspecifics. When making approach-avoidance decisions, participants (N = 112) had greater pupil dilation to sick than healthy faces, and more pupil dilation was associated with greater avoidance, suggesting elevated arousal to threat. Across all experiments, participants' behaviors correlated with the degree of sickness, as reported by the face donors, suggesting a nuanced, fine-tuned sensitivity. Together, these findings suggest that humans may detect subtle threats of contagion from sick faces, which may facilitate illness avoidance. By better understanding how humans naturally avoid illness in conspecifics, we may identify what information is used and ultimately improve public health.
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Temporary differences in pathogen disgust sensitivity and the perception of crowded spaces. PERSONALITY AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2022.111928] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
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Landers M, Sznycer D. The evolution of shame and its display. EVOLUTIONARY HUMAN SCIENCES 2022; 4:e45. [PMID: 37588893 PMCID: PMC10426012 DOI: 10.1017/ehs.2022.43] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2021] [Revised: 09/09/2022] [Accepted: 09/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
The shame system appears to be natural selection's solution to the adaptive problem of information-triggered reputational damage. Over evolutionary time, this problem would have led to a coordinated set of adaptations - the shame system - designed to minimise the spread of negative information about the self and the likelihood and costs of being socially devalued by others. This information threat theory of shame can account for much of what we know about shame and generate precise predictions. Here, we analyse the behavioural configuration that people adopt stereotypically when ashamed - slumped posture, downward head tilt, gaze avoidance, inhibition of speech - in light of shame's hypothesised function. This behavioural configuration may have differentially favoured its own replication by (a) hampering the transfer of information (e.g. diminishing audiences' tendency to attend to or encode identifying information - shame camouflage) and/or (b) evoking less severe devaluative responses from audiences (shame display). The shame display hypothesis has received considerable attention and empirical support, whereas the shame camouflage hypothesis has to our knowledge not been advanced or tested. We elaborate on this hypothesis and suggest directions for future research on the shame pose.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mitchell Landers
- Center for Early Childhood Research, Department of Psychology, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Daniel Sznycer
- Oklahoma Center for Evolutionary Analysis, Department of Psychology, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, USA
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Yang Y, Zhong W, Zhang Y, Cheng Y, Lai H, Yu H, Feng N, Han Y, Huang R, Zhai Q. Sustained Inflammation Induced by LPS Leads to Tolerable Anorexia and Fat Loss via Tlr4 in Mice. J Inflamm Res 2022; 15:5635-5648. [PMID: 36211223 PMCID: PMC9534160 DOI: 10.2147/jir.s358518] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2022] [Accepted: 09/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Sustained inflammation is implicated in a variety of pathological conditions like infection, obesity and type 2 diabetes. Lipid metabolism is crucial to support immune response during infection of bacteria. However, how sustained inflammation affects lipid metabolism, especially in white adipose tissue remains largely unknown. Methods Sustained inflammation was induced by daily injection of Lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Tlr4 knockout mice were used to study the mechanism. Inflammation and lipid metabolism were evaluated by quantitative PCR, white blood cell counting, nuclear magnetic resonance, fat cell size quantification, lipolysis and fatty acid uptake assays, respiratory exchange ratio, and energy expenditure. Results Here, we found that sustained inflammation leads to fat loss in mice with a quick loss and gradual increase manner. Moreover, LPS injection leads to inflammation, anorexia, decreased lipid anabolism, and increased lipid catabolism. Mechanically, we show that LPS induces fat loss, inflammation, anorexia, and alteration of lipid metabolism mainly dependent on Tlr4. Interestingly, sustained inflammation induces less fat loss, especially in epididymal white adipose tissue, than pair-feeding, and pair-feeding has no significant effect on inflammation and leads to less fatty acid uptake, more lipid catabolism and energy expenditure than LPS injection. In addition, we demonstrate that short-term sustained inflammation leads to relative long-term tolerance for LPS-induced anorexia, inflammation and altered lipid metabolism. Conclusion These findings demonstrate that sustained inflammation induced by LPS leads to tolerable anorexia and fat loss via Tlr4 in mice, and provide new insights into the effect of sustained inflammation on lipid metabolism and subsequent tolerance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yale Yang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Nutrition, Metabolism and Food Safety, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China
| | - Wuling Zhong
- CAS Key Laboratory of Nutrition, Metabolism and Food Safety, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yali Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Nutrition, Metabolism and Food Safety, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yalan Cheng
- CAS Key Laboratory of Nutrition, Metabolism and Food Safety, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China
| | - Hejin Lai
- CAS Key Laboratory of Nutrition, Metabolism and Food Safety, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China
| | - Huimin Yu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Nutrition, Metabolism and Food Safety, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China
| | - Ning Feng
- CAS Key Laboratory of Nutrition, Metabolism and Food Safety, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yumo Han
- School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China
| | - Rui Huang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Nutrition, Metabolism and Food Safety, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China
| | - Qiwei Zhai
- CAS Key Laboratory of Nutrition, Metabolism and Food Safety, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China
- School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China
- Correspondence: Qiwei Zhai, Shanghai, 200031, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86 21 5492 0903, Fax +86 21 5492 0291, Email
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Pritchard AJ, Silk MJ, Carrignon S, Bentley RA, Fefferman NH. How reported outbreak data can shape individual behavior in a social world. J Public Health Policy 2022; 43:360-378. [PMID: 35948617 PMCID: PMC9365202 DOI: 10.1057/s41271-022-00357-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Agencies reporting on disease outbreaks face many choices about what to report and the scale of its dissemination. Reporting impacts an epidemic by influencing individual decisions directly, and the social network in which they are made. We simulated a dynamic multiplex network model-with coupled infection and communication layers-to examine behavioral impacts from the nature and scale of epidemiological information reporting. We explored how adherence to protective behaviors (social distancing) can be facilitated through epidemiological reporting, social construction of perceived risk, and local monitoring of direct connections, but eroded via social reassurance. We varied reported information (total active cases, daily new cases, hospitalizations, hospital capacity exceeded, or deaths) at one of two scales (population level or community level). Total active and new case reporting at the population level were the most effective approaches, relative to the other reporting approaches. Case reporting, which synergizes with test-trace-and-isolate and vaccination policies, should remain a priority throughout an epidemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander J Pritchard
- NIMBioS, National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis, University of Tennessee, 447 Hesler Biology Building, Knoxville, TN, 37996, USA
| | - Matthew J Silk
- NIMBioS, National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis, University of Tennessee, 447 Hesler Biology Building, Knoxville, TN, 37996, USA
| | - Simon Carrignon
- Department of Anthropology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA
| | | | - Nina H Fefferman
- NIMBioS, National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis, University of Tennessee, 447 Hesler Biology Building, Knoxville, TN, 37996, USA.
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12
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Gildner TE, Cepon-Robins TJ, Urlacher SS. Cumulative host energetic costs of soil-transmitted helminth infection. Trends Parasitol 2022; 38:629-641. [DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2022.04.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2022] [Revised: 04/25/2022] [Accepted: 04/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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Kessler SE, Aunger R. The evolution of the human healthcare system and implications for understanding our responses to COVID-19. Evol Med Public Health 2022; 10:87-107. [PMID: 35284079 PMCID: PMC8908543 DOI: 10.1093/emph/eoac004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2021] [Accepted: 01/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed an urgent need for a comprehensive, multidisciplinary understanding of how healthcare systems respond successfully to infectious pathogens-and how they fail. This study contributes a novel perspective that focuses on the selective pressures that shape healthcare systems over evolutionary time. We use a comparative approach to trace the evolution of care-giving and disease control behaviours across species and then map their integration into the contemporary human healthcare system. Self-care and pro-health environmental modification are ubiquitous across animals, while derived behaviours like care for kin, for strangers, and group-level organizational responses have evolved via different selection pressures. We then apply this framework to our behavioural responses to COVID-19 and demonstrate that three types of conflicts are occurring: (1) conflicting selection pressures on individuals, (2) evolutionary mismatches between the context in which our healthcare behaviours evolved and our globalized world of today and (3) evolutionary displacements in which older forms of care are currently dispensed through more derived forms. We discuss the significance of understanding how healthcare systems evolve and change for thinking about the role of healthcare systems in society during and after the time of COVID-19-and for us as a species as we continue to face selection from infectious diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sharon E Kessler
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling, UK
| | - Robert Aunger
- Environmental Health Group, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
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14
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Carrignon S, Bentley RA, Silk M, Fefferman NH. How social learning shapes the efficacy of preventative health behaviors in an outbreak. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0262505. [PMID: 35015794 PMCID: PMC8752029 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0262505] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2021] [Accepted: 12/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
The global pandemic of COVID-19 revealed the dynamic heterogeneity in how individuals respond to infection risks, government orders, and community-specific social norms. Here we demonstrate how both individual observation and social learning are likely to shape behavioral, and therefore epidemiological, dynamics over time. Efforts to delay and reduce infections can compromise their own success, especially when disease risk and social learning interact within sub-populations, as when people observe others who are (a) infected and/or (b) socially distancing to protect themselves from infection. Simulating socially-learning agents who observe effects of a contagious virus, our modelling results are consistent with with 2020 data on mask-wearing in the U.S. and also concur with general observations of cohort induced differences in reactions to public health recommendations. We show how shifting reliance on types of learning affect the course of an outbreak, and could therefore factor into policy-based interventions incorporating age-based cohort differences in response behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon Carrignon
- Department of Anthropology and Center for the Dynamics of Social Complexity (DySoC), University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, United States of America
| | - R. Alexander Bentley
- Department of Anthropology and Center for the Dynamics of Social Complexity (DySoC), University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, United States of America
| | - Matthew Silk
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom
| | - Nina H. Fefferman
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, United States of America
- Department of Mathematics, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, United States of America
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15
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Schrock JM, Sugiyama LS, Naidoo N, Kowal P, Snodgrass JJ. Greater chronic morbidity is associated with greater fatigue in six countries. Evol Med Public Health 2022; 10:156-169. [PMID: 35480567 PMCID: PMC9036556 DOI: 10.1093/emph/eoac011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2021] [Accepted: 03/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Background and objectives Human susceptibility to chronic non-communicable disease may be explained, in part, by mismatches between our evolved biology and contemporary environmental conditions. Disease-induced fatigue may function to reduce physical activity during acute infection, thereby making more energy available to mount an effective immune response. However, fatigue in the context of chronic disease may be maladaptive because long-term reductions in physical activity increase risks of disease progression and the acquisition of additional morbidities. Here, we test whether cumulative chronic morbidity is associated with subjective fatigue. Methodology We constructed a cumulative chronic morbidity score using self-reported diagnoses and algorithm-based assessments, and a subjective fatigue score based on four questionnaire items using cross-sectional survey data from the Study on global AGEing and adult health, which features large samples of adults from six countries (China, Ghana, India, Mexico, Russia and South Africa). Results In a mixed-effects linear model with participants nested in countries (N = 32 455), greater cumulative chronic morbidity is associated with greater subjective fatigue (β = 0.34, SE = 0.005, P < 2e−16). This association replicates within each country and is robust to adjustment for key sociodemographic and physical covariates (sex, age, household wealth, physical function score, habitual physical activity, BMI and BMI2). Conclusions and implications Fatigue is a common but perhaps maladaptive neuropsychological response to chronic morbidity. Disease-induced fatigue may mediate a self-perpetuating cycle, in which chronic morbidity reduces physical activity, and less physical activity increases cumulative chronic morbidity. Longitudinal research is needed to test whether chronic morbidity, fatigue and physical activity form a cyclical feedback loop. Lay Summary: Fatigue during acute illness may promote recovery, but persistent fatigue in the context of chronic disease may make matters worse. We present evidence from six countries that more chronic disease is associated with more fatigue. This fatigue may reduce physical activity, which increases risks of acquiring additional chronic health problems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua M Schrock
- Institute for Sexual and Gender Minority Health and Wellbeing, Northwestern University, 625 N Michigan Avenue, Suite 14, Chicago, IL 60611, USA
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, 1810 Hinman Avenue, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
- Department of Anthropology, 1218 University of Oregon, 308 Condon Hall, Eugene, OR 97403, USA
- Corresponding author. Institute for Sexual and Gender Minority Health and Wellbeing, Northwestern University, 625 N Michigan Avenue, Suite 14, Chicago, IL 60611, USA. Tel: (312) 503-5408; E-mail:
| | - Lawrence S Sugiyama
- Department of Anthropology, 1218 University of Oregon, 308 Condon Hall, Eugene, OR 97403, USA
| | - Nirmala Naidoo
- Study on global AGEing and adult health (SAGE), World Health Organization, Avenue Appia 20, Geneva 1211, Switzerland
| | - Paul Kowal
- Study on global AGEing and adult health (SAGE), World Health Organization, Avenue Appia 20, Geneva 1211, Switzerland
- Centre for Women’s Health Research, University Drive, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia
| | - J Josh Snodgrass
- Department of Anthropology, 1218 University of Oregon, 308 Condon Hall, Eugene, OR 97403, USA
- Center for Global Health, University of Oregon, 1585 E 13th Avenue, Eugene, OR 97403, USA
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Schrock JM, McDade TW, Carrico AW, D'Aquila RT, Mustanski B. Traumatic events and mental health: The amplifying effects of pre-trauma systemic inflammation. Brain Behav Immun 2021; 98:173-184. [PMID: 34391815 PMCID: PMC8588867 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2021.08.208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2021] [Revised: 08/04/2021] [Accepted: 08/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Traumatic experiences are strongly predictive of adverse mental health outcomes. Experimental studies have demonstrated that systemic inflammation can increase reactivity to threatening stimuli. It is not known whether naturally occurring inflammation amplifies the impact of traumatic experiences on mental health. Here we test whether incident traumatic events are more predictive of adverse mental health outcomes for individuals with greater pre-trauma systemic inflammation in a racially and ethnically diverse cohort study of youth assigned male at birth who identify as sexual or gender minorities (ages 16-29, n = 518), a group at high risk for trauma exposure. METHODS Measures of inflammation, depression symptom severity, and perceived stress were measured at baseline. One year later, depression symptom severity and perceived stress were measured again, and participants reported the traumatic events they had experienced in the intervening year. RESULTS In a model adjusted for baseline depression symptom severity and other key covariates, we found that higher baseline levels of interleukin-1β amplified the effect of incident trauma exposure on depression symptom severity at follow-up (β = 0.234, SE = 0.080, P = 0.004). In a model adjusted for baseline perceived stress and other key covariates, we found that higher baseline scores on a multi-marker inflammatory index amplified the effect of incident trauma exposure on perceived stress at follow-up (β = 0.243, SE = 0.083, P = 0.003). CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that greater pre-trauma inflammation may predict poorer mental health following trauma exposure. Understanding how inflammation interacts with trauma to shape mental health may generate novel insights for preventing and treating the debilitating psychological consequences of trauma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua M Schrock
- Institute for Sexual and Gender Minority Health and Wellbeing, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Thomas W McDade
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA; Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Adam W Carrico
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA
| | - Richard T D'Aquila
- Institute for Sexual and Gender Minority Health and Wellbeing, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA; Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Brian Mustanski
- Institute for Sexual and Gender Minority Health and Wellbeing, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA; Department of Medical Social Sciences, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA.
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17
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Thiebaut G, Méot A, Witt A, Prokop P, Bonin P. "Touch Me If You Can!": Individual Differences in Disease Avoidance and Social Touch. EVOLUTIONARY PSYCHOLOGY 2021; 19:14747049211056159. [PMID: 34874187 PMCID: PMC10358415 DOI: 10.1177/14747049211056159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2021] [Revised: 10/11/2021] [Accepted: 10/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The threat of diseases varies considerably among individuals, and it has been found to be linked to various proactive or reactive behaviors. In the present studies, we investigated the impact of individual differences in the perceived vulnerability to disease (PVD) on social touch before (Study 1) or during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic (Study 2). We also investigated the influence of personality traits in the covariation between these two dimensions. We found that people who are the most disease-avoidant are also the most reluctant to touching or being touched by others (and this relationship holds when personality traits are taken into account). Interestingly, the association between PVD and social touch increased during the COVID-19 pandemic compared with a few months before. By showing that the fear of contamination has an association with social touch, the findings provide further evidence for the behavioral immune system ( Schaller and Park, 2011), a psychological system acting as a first line of defense against pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gaëtan Thiebaut
- Univ. Bourgogne Franche-Comté, LEAD-CNRS UMR5022, Dijon, France
| | - Alain Méot
- Université Clermont-Auvergne, LAPSCO-CNRS UMR6024, Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Arnaud Witt
- Univ. Bourgogne Franche-Comté, LEAD-CNRS UMR5022, Dijon, France
| | - Pavol Prokop
- Department of Environmental Ecology and Landscape Management, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia
- Institute of Zoology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Patrick Bonin
- Univ. Bourgogne Franche-Comté, LEAD-CNRS UMR5022, Dijon, France
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18
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Why we don't move: The importance of somatic maintenance and resting. Behav Brain Sci 2021; 44:e132. [PMID: 34588084 DOI: 10.1017/s0140525x21000248] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
A compelling ecological theory of movement and vigor must explain why humans and other animals spend so much time not moving. When we rest, our somatic maintenance systems continue to work. When our somatic maintenance requirements increase, we place greater subjective value on resting. To explain variation in movement and vigor, we must account for the subjective value of resting.
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19
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Spatial and Social Behavior of Single and Coupled Individuals of Both Sexes during COVID-19 Lockdown Regime in Russia. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 18:ijerph18084283. [PMID: 33920747 PMCID: PMC8073311 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18084283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2021] [Revised: 04/03/2021] [Accepted: 04/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Testing individual motivations for social activity in violation of the mandated lockdown regime is a challenging research topic for evolutionary psychology. To this purpose, we analyzed twenty popular weekly routes and the potential impact of sex and relationship status (single versus coupled) on the reported level of spatial-social activity during the quarantine in Russia between March and June 2020 (N = 492). Our study revealed a significant difference between men’s and women’s mobility: men, in general, tend to exhibit substantially higher spatial activity. The results have shown that individuals living on their own have more social interactions with friends and exhibit more profound spatial mobility via public transport. On the other hand, spatial activity of coupled individuals of both sexes were mostly devoted to solving a list of economic and matrimonial tasks. At the same time, men already cohabiting with a partner leave their homes for dating purposes more frequently than single men and women. We interpret these findings in the sense that both individual and sex-specific differences in observed sociality could be a result of a fine-tuned adaptive populational response to a contemporary virus threat, predominantly rooted in the evolution of behavioral strategies in the reproductive and economic spheres of each sex. Indeed, unlike women, coupled men have been preserving highly risky and intense social behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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20
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Cepon-Robins TJ, Blackwell AD, Gildner TE, Liebert MA, Urlacher SS, Madimenos FC, Eick GN, Snodgrass JJ, Sugiyama LS. Pathogen disgust sensitivity protects against infection in a high pathogen environment. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:e2018552118. [PMID: 33597300 PMCID: PMC7923589 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2018552118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Disgust is hypothesized to be an evolved emotion that functions to regulate the avoidance of pathogen-related stimuli and behaviors. Individuals with higher pathogen disgust sensitivity (PDS) are predicted to be exposed to and thus infected by fewer pathogens, though no studies have tested this directly. Furthermore, PDS is hypothesized to be locally calibrated to the types of pathogens normally encountered and the fitness-related costs and benefits of infection and avoidance. Market integration (the degree of production for and consumption from market-based economies) influences the relative costs/benefits of pathogen exposure and avoidance through sanitation, hygiene, and lifestyle changes, and is thus predicted to affect PDS. Here, we examine the function of PDS in disease avoidance, its environmental calibration, and its socioecological variation by examining associations among PDS, market-related lifestyle factors, and measures of bacterial, viral, and macroparasitic infection at the individual, household, and community levels. Data were collected among 75 participants (ages 5 to 59 y) from 28 households in three Ecuadorian Shuar communities characterized by subsistence-based lifestyles and high pathogen burden, but experiencing rapid market integration. As predicted, we found strong negative associations between PDS and biomarkers of immune response to viral/bacterial infection, and weaker associations between PDS and measures of macroparasite infection, apparently mediated by market integration-related differences. We provide support for the previously untested hypothesis that PDS is negatively associated with infection, and document variation in PDS indicative of calibration to local socioeconomic conditions. More broadly, findings highlight the importance of evolved psychological mechanisms in human health outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tara J Cepon-Robins
- Department of Anthropology, University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, CO 80918;
| | - Aaron D Blackwell
- Department of Anthropology, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164
| | - Theresa E Gildner
- Department of Anthropology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63130
| | - Melissa A Liebert
- Department of Anthropology, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ 86011
| | - Samuel S Urlacher
- Department of Anthropology, Baylor University, Waco, TX 76706
- Child and Brain Development Program, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, Toronto, ON M5G 1M1, Canada
| | - Felicia C Madimenos
- Department of Anthropology, Queens College, City University of New York, Queens, NY 11367
| | - Geeta N Eick
- Department of Anthropology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403
| | - J Josh Snodgrass
- Department of Anthropology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403
- Center for Global Health, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403
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21
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McDade TW, Miller A, Tran TT, Borders AEB, Miller G. A highly sensitive multiplex immunoassay for inflammatory cytokines in dried blood spots. Am J Hum Biol 2021; 33:e23558. [PMID: 33382166 DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.23558] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2020] [Revised: 11/18/2020] [Accepted: 12/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Inflammatory cytokines are key regulators of inflammation, but current measurement approaches require venous blood to quantify low circulating concentrations associated with chronic, low-grade inflammation. This article describes a highly sensitive multiplex immunoassay protocol for the measurement of IL6, IL8, IL10, and TNFα in finger stick dried blood spot (DBS) samples. METHODS The protocol uses a multiplex electrochemiluminescent immunoassay platform. The following measures of assay performance were evaluated: reliability (inter-assay percent coefficient of variation; %CV), precision (intra-assay %CV), lower limit of detection (LLD), linearity of dilution, and agreement with results from matched plasma samples. RESULTS Analysis of three control samples across the assay range indicated an acceptable level of precision and reliability for each cytokine. Linearity of dilution returned average values that ranged from 104.1 to 127.6% of expected. Lower limits of detection for IL6, IL8, and IL10 were <0.5, and <1.0 pg/ml for TNFα. Level of agreement in results between matched DBS and plasma samples was high for all cytokines except for IL8. CONCLUSIONS Finger stick DBS sampling provides a viable alternative to venipuncture for the quantification of IL6, IL10, and TNFα at low concentrations associated with chronic inflammation. The presence of red blood cells may interfere with the quantification of IL8 in DBS. In facilitating blood collection in nonclinical settings this method can advance scientific understandings of how social and ecological contexts shape immune function and health over the life course.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas W McDade
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA.,Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
| | - Aaron Miller
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
| | - Tina T Tran
- Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
| | - Ann E B Borders
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, NorthShore University Health System, Evanston, Illinois, USA.,Pritzker School of Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Greg Miller
- Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA.,Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
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22
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Lukaszewski AW, Lewis DM, Durkee PK, Sell AN, Sznycer D, Buss DM. An Adaptationist Framework for Personality Science. EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PERSONALITY 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/per.2292] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
The field of personality psychology aspires to construct an overarching theory of human nature and individual differences: one that specifies the psychological mechanisms that underpin both universal and variable aspects of thought, emotion, and behaviour. Here, we argue that the adaptationist toolkit of evolutionary psychology provides a powerful meta–theory for characterizing the psychological mechanisms that give rise to within–person, between–person, and cross–cultural variations. We first outline a mechanism–centred adaptationist framework for personality science, which makes a clear ontological distinction between (i) psychological mechanisms designed to generate behavioural decisions and (ii) heuristic trait concepts that function to perceive, describe, and influence others behaviour and reputation in everyday life. We illustrate the utility of the adaptationist framework by reporting three empirical studies. Each study supports the hypothesis that the anger programme—a putative emotional adaptation—is a behaviour–regulating mechanism whose outputs are described in the parlance of the person description factor called ‘Agreeableness’. We conclude that the most productive way forward is to build theory–based models of specific psychological mechanisms, including their culturally evolved design features, until they constitute a comprehensive depiction of human nature and its multifaceted variations. © 2020 European Association of Personality Psychology
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Affiliation(s)
| | - David M.G. Lewis
- School of Psychology and Exercise Science, Murdoch University, Perth, WA Australia
| | - Patrick K. Durkee
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX USA
| | - Aaron N. Sell
- Psychology and Criminology Department, Heidelberg University, Tiffin, OH USA
| | - Daniel Sznycer
- Department of Psychology, University of Montreal, Montreal, QC Canada
| | - David M. Buss
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX USA
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23
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Wrotek S, LeGrand EK, Dzialuk A, Alcock J. Let fever do its job: The meaning of fever in the pandemic era. Evol Med Public Health 2020; 9:26-35. [PMID: 33738101 PMCID: PMC7717216 DOI: 10.1093/emph/eoaa044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2020] [Accepted: 11/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Although fever is one of the main presenting symptoms of COVID-19 infection, little public attention has been given to fever as an evolved defense. Fever, the regulated increase in the body temperature, is part of the evolved systemic reaction to infection known as the acute phase response. The heat of fever augments the performance of immune cells, induces stress on pathogens and infected cells directly, and combines with other stressors to provide a nonspecific immune defense. Observational trials in humans suggest a survival benefit from fever, and randomized trials published before COVID-19 do not support fever reduction in patients with infection. Like public health measures that seem burdensome and excessive, fevers involve costly trade-offs but they can prevent infection from getting out of control. For infections with novel SARS-CoV-2, the precautionary principle applies: unless evidence suggests otherwise, we advise that fever should be allowed to run its course. Lay summary: For COVID-19, many public health organizations have advised treating fever with medicines such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen. Even though this is a common practice, lowering body temperature has not improved survival in laboratory animals or in patients with infections. Blocking fever can be harmful because fever, along with other sickness symptoms, evolved as a defense against infection. Fever works by causing more damage to pathogens and infected cells than it does to healthy cells in the body. During pandemic COVID-19, the benefits of allowing fever to occur probably outweigh its harms, for individuals and for the public at large.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sylwia Wrotek
- Department of Immunology, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Torun, Poland
| | - Edmund K LeGrand
- Department of Biomedical and Diagnostic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tennessee Knoxville, TN, USA
| | - Artur Dzialuk
- Department of Genetics, Kazimierz Wielki University, Bydgoszcz, Poland
| | - Joe Alcock
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, USA
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24
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Townsend AK, Hawley DM, Stephenson JF, Williams KEG. Emerging infectious disease and the challenges of social distancing in human and non-human animals. Proc Biol Sci 2020; 287:20201039. [PMID: 32781952 PMCID: PMC7575514 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2020.1039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2020] [Accepted: 07/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The 'social distancing' that occurred in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in humans provides a powerful illustration of the intimate relationship between infectious disease and social behaviour in animals. Indeed, directly transmitted pathogens have long been considered a major cost of group living in humans and other social animals, as well as a driver of the evolution of group size and social behaviour. As the risk and frequency of emerging infectious diseases rise, the ability of social taxa to respond appropriately to changing infectious disease pressures could mean the difference between persistence and extinction. Here, we examine changes in the social behaviour of humans and wildlife in response to infectious diseases and compare these responses to theoretical expectations. We consider constraints on altering social behaviour in the face of emerging diseases, including the lack of behavioural plasticity, environmental limitations and conflicting pressures from the many benefits of group living. We also explore the ways that social animals can minimize the costs of disease-induced changes to sociality and the unique advantages that humans may have in maintaining the benefits of sociality despite social distancing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea K. Townsend
- Department of Biology, Hamilton College, 198 College Hill Road, Clinton, NY 13323, USA
| | - Dana M. Hawley
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, 4036 Derring Hall (MC 0406), 926 West Campus Drive, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
| | - Jessica F. Stephenson
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, 403B Clapp Hall, 4249 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
| | - Keelah E. G. Williams
- Department of Psychology, Hamilton College, 198 College Hill Road, Clinton, NY 13323, USA
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