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Mitchell BJ, Coifman KG, Olatunji BO. Is disgust more resistant to extinction than fear? A meta-analytic review of laboratory paradigms. Behav Res Ther 2024; 174:104479. [PMID: 38301293 DOI: 10.1016/j.brat.2024.104479] [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: 10/28/2023] [Revised: 01/05/2024] [Accepted: 01/09/2024] [Indexed: 02/03/2024]
Abstract
Disgust can be acquired via evaluative conditioning; a process by which a neutral stimulus (conditioned stimulus; CS) comes to be evaluated as disgusting due to its pairing with an inherently disgusting stimulus (unconditioned stimulus; US). Research has shown that conditioned disgust responses are resistant to extinction which may have implications for disorders (i.e., contamination-based obsessive-compulsive disorder, specific phobias, and post-traumatic stress disorder) in which heightened disgust has been implicated. Importantly, extinction is the primary mechanism by which exposure therapies are thought to achieve symptom reduction for these disorders. Exposure therapies were originally modeled on fear extinction, whereas disgust extinction was largely overlooked until recently. Accordingly, differences in the degree to which learned disgust and fear can be attenuated via extinction learning remains unclear. The present investigation was a meta-analysis directly comparing the degree of extinction of conditioned disgust (n = 14) and conditioned fear (n = 14) in laboratory paradigms. Extinction was operationalized as the standardized mean difference (SMD) in evaluative ratings between the CS+ (the CS paired with the US) and CS- (the unpaired CS) after extinction training. Results of a subgroup analysis indicated that disgust (SMD = 0.52) was significantly more resistant to extinction than fear (SMD = 0.37). Additionally, a series of meta-regression analyses indicated that extinction was not influenced by important study characteristics (e.g., sex, age, number of conditioning and extinction trials). The findings suggest that extinction-based approaches may be less effective at attenuating learned disgust and research is needed to better optimize treatments for disgust-related disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin J Mitchell
- Department of Psychological Science, Kent State University, l, Kent, OH, United States.
| | - Karin G Coifman
- Department of Psychological Science, Kent State University, l, Kent, OH, United States
| | - Bunmi O Olatunji
- Psychological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, United States
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2
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Arnocky S, Denomme B, Hodges-Simeon C, Hlay JK, Davis AC, Brennan H. Self-perceived Mate Value is Predicted by Biological and self-reported Indices of Health in Young Adults. ADAPTIVE HUMAN BEHAVIOR AND PHYSIOLOGY 2023; 9:54-71. [PMID: 36686590 PMCID: PMC9838438 DOI: 10.1007/s40750-022-00209-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2022] [Revised: 12/14/2022] [Accepted: 12/19/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Immunocompetence can influence an organism's reproductive fitness, and thus presumably their desirability as a mate (i.e., mate value). In humans, the link between immunocompetence and mate value has found circumstantial support by way of both expressed mate preferences for healthy partners, and via preferences for attractive phenotypes that are ostensibly linked to immune functioning. We examined whether a biological marker of immunocompetence, salivary immunoglobulin A (sIgA), along with self-reported frequency and severity of symptoms of poor health predicted individuals' reported mate value and mating behavior in a sample of 691 young adults. Our measures of immunocompetence (sIgA and symptoms of poor health) correlated significantly with one another, suggesting sIgA is a viable marker of general immune function in young adults. We then examined the independent contributions of these variables to mate value, controlling for age, sex, and body mass index (BMI). Results showed that sIgA (positively) and poor health (negatively) predicted mate value, but not lifetime number of sex partners or current romantic relationship status. These findings suggest that those with better health and immune function report being more desirable as mating partners but support past research showing null links to reported mating behavior. Together, these findings suggest that more comprehensive work on links between immunocompetence and mating is required.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven Arnocky
- Nipissing University, 100 College Drive, P1B8L7 North Bay, ON Canada
| | - Brittany Denomme
- Nipissing University, 100 College Drive, P1B8L7 North Bay, ON Canada
| | | | | | - Adam C. Davis
- Nipissing University, 100 College Drive, P1B8L7, North Bay, ON Canada
| | - Hillary Brennan
- Nipissing University, 100 College Drive, P1B8L7 North Bay, ON Canada
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3
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DeScioli P. On the origin of laws by natural selection. EVOL HUM BEHAV 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2023.01.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
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4
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Makhanova A, Plant EA, Ketterman AB, Maner JK. Pathogen threat and intergroup prejudice using the minimal group paradigm: Evidence from a registered report. EVOL HUM BEHAV 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2022.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
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5
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Disgust sensitivity predicts sociosexuality across cultures. EVOL HUM BEHAV 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2022.04.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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6
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Thiebaut G, Méot A, Witt A, Prokop P, Bonin P. COVID-19 and Memory: A Novel Contamination Effect in Memory. EVOLUTIONARY PSYCHOLOGY 2022; 20:14747049221108929. [PMID: 35746890 PMCID: PMC10303574 DOI: 10.1177/14747049221108929] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2022] [Revised: 06/06/2022] [Accepted: 06/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The Behavioral Immune System (BIS, Schaller & Park, 2011) is a defense system whose function is to protect against pathogen exposure. Memory is an important component of this system (Fernandes et al., 2017). We investigated "contamination effects" in memory in relation to COVID-19. Photographs of everyday objects were shown to adults (N = 80) in the hands of either a healthy or a contagious person who had contracted SARS-CoV-2. "Contaminated objects" were recalled better than "non-contaminated objects" suggesting that a contamination effect in memory in humans is easily acquired in the absence of apparent visual cues of disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gaëtan Thiebaut
- LEAD-CNRS UMR5022, Université Bourgogne
Franche-Comté, Dijon, France
| | - Alain Méot
- LAPSCO-CNRS UMR6024, Université
Clermont-Auvergne, Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Arnaud Witt
- LEAD-CNRS UMR5022, Université Bourgogne
Franche-Comté, 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
- LEAD-CNRS UMR5022, Université Bourgogne
Franche-Comté, Dijon, France
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7
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van Leeuwen F, Inbar Y, Petersen MB, Aarøe L, Barclay P, Barlow FK, de Barra M, Becker DV, Borovoi L, Choi J, Consedine NS, Conway JR, Conway P, Adoric VC, Demirci E, Fernández AM, Ferreira DCS, Ishii K, Jakšić I, Ji T, Jonaityte I, Lewis DMG, Li NP, McIntyre JC, Mukherjee S, Park JH, Pawlowski B, Pizarro D, Prokop P, Prodromitis G, Rantala MJ, Reynolds LM, Sandin B, Sevi B, Srinivasan N, Tewari S, Yong JC, Žeželj I, Tybur JM. Disgust sensitivity relates to attitudes toward gay men and lesbian women across 31 nations. GROUP PROCESSES & INTERGROUP RELATIONS 2022. [DOI: 10.1177/13684302211067151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Previous work has reported a relation between pathogen-avoidance motivations and prejudice toward various social groups, including gay men and lesbian women. It is currently unknown whether this association is present across cultures, or specific to North America. Analyses of survey data from adult heterosexuals ( N = 11,200) from 31 countries showed a small relation between pathogen disgust sensitivity (an individual-difference measure of pathogen-avoidance motivations) and measures of antigay attitudes. Analyses also showed that pathogen disgust sensitivity relates not only to antipathy toward gay men and lesbians, but also to negativity toward other groups, in particular those associated with violations of traditional sexual norms (e.g., prostitutes). These results suggest that the association between pathogen-avoidance motivations and antigay attitudes is relatively stable across cultures and is a manifestation of a more general relation between pathogen-avoidance motivations and prejudice towards groups associated with sexual norm violations.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Leah Borovoi
- National Institute for Testing and Evaluation, Israel
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - David M. G. Lewis
- College of Science, Health, Engineering and Education, and Centre for Healthy Ageing, Health Futures Institute, Murdoch University, Australia
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Pavol Prokop
- Comenius University, Slovakia
- Slovak Academy of Sciences, Slovakia
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8
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Hildebrandt T, Peyser D, Sysko R. Lessons learned developing and testing family-based interoceptive exposure for adolescents with low-weight eating disorders. Int J Eat Disord 2021; 54:2037-2045. [PMID: 34528269 PMCID: PMC8712094 DOI: 10.1002/eat.23605] [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: 05/04/2021] [Revised: 08/30/2021] [Accepted: 08/31/2021] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Anorexia nervosa (AN) usually develops in early adolescence and is characterized by high rates of morbidity and mortality. Family-based therapy (FBT) is the leading evidence-based treatment for adolescents with AN, but not all patients experience sufficient improvement. The purpose of this manuscript is to describe the development and subsequent experience with a Family-Based Interoceptive Exposure (FBT-IE) for adolescents with a broader form of low-weight eating disorders. METHODS The novel IE-based behavioral intervention is a six-session family-based treatment module designed to directly target and modify disgust by altering the prefrontal regulation of the insula response to aversive stimuli by decreasing visceral sensitivity (e.g., bloating). Each session teaches a new skill regarding tolerating distress to visceral sensations associated with disgust and an in-vivo "IE exercise," in which the family is provided with a meal replacement shake of unknown content and caloric density. RESULTS In this novel treatment, the patient learns to tolerate disgust in the context of a challenging food stimulus as a way to increase consumption of restricted foods outside of session. CONCLUSION We discuss successes and challenges executing this treatment with patients with low-weight eating disorders and propose future directions for the intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tom Hildebrandt
- Eating and Weight Disorders Program, Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Deena Peyser
- Eating and Weight Disorders Program, Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Robyn Sysko
- Eating and Weight Disorders Program, Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
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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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10
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Hlay JK, Albert G, Batres C, Richardson G, Placek C, Arnocky S, Lieberman D, Hodges-Simeon CR. The evolution of disgust for pathogen detection and avoidance. Sci Rep 2021; 11:13468. [PMID: 34188198 PMCID: PMC8241835 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-91712-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2021] [Accepted: 05/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
The behavioral immune system posits that disgust functions to protect animals from pathogen exposure. Therefore, cues of pathogen risk should be a primary driver influencing variation in disgust. Yet, to our knowledge, neither the relationship between current pathogen risk and disgust, nor the correlation between objective and perceived pathogen risk have been addressed using ecologically valid measures in a global sample. The current article reports two studies addressing these gaps. In Study 1, we include a global sample (n = 361) and tested the influence of both perceived pathogen exposure and an objective measure of pathogen risk-local communicable infectious disease mortality rates-on individual differences in pathogen and sexual disgust sensitivities. In Study 2, we first replicate Study 1's analyses in another large sample (n = 821), targeting four countries (US, Italy, Brazil, and India); we then replaced objective and perceived pathogen risk with variables specific to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. In Study 1, both local infection mortality rates and perceived infection exposure predicted unique variance in pathogen and sexual disgust. In Study 2, we found that perceived infection exposure positively predicted sexual disgust, as predicted. When substituting perceived and objective SARS-CoV-2 risk in our models, perceived risk of contracting SARS-CoV-2 positively predicted pathogen and sexual disgust, and state case rates negatively predicted pathogen disgust. Further, in both studies, objective measures of risk (i.e., local infection mortality and SARS-CoV-2 rates) positively correlated with subjective measures of risk (i.e., perceived infection exposure and perceived SARS-CoV-2 risk). Ultimately, these results provide two pieces of foundational evidence for the behavioral immune system: 1) perceptions of pathogen risk accurately assay local, objective mortality risk across countries, and 2) both perceived and objective pathogen risk explain variance in disgust levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica K Hlay
- Department of Anthropology, Boston University, 232 Bay State Rd. #105, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - Graham Albert
- Department of Anthropology, Boston University, 232 Bay State Rd. #105, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - Carlota Batres
- Department of Psychology, Franklin & Marshall College, Lancaster, PA, USA
| | - George Richardson
- School of Human Services, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Caitlyn Placek
- Department of Anthropology, Ball State University, Muncie, IN, USA
| | - Steven Arnocky
- Department of Psychology, Nipissing University, North Bay, ON, Canada
| | - Debra Lieberman
- Department of Psychology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, USA
| | - Carolyn R Hodges-Simeon
- Department of Anthropology, Boston University, 232 Bay State Rd. #105, Boston, MA, 02215, USA.
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11
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Prokosch ML, Airington Z, Murray DR. Investigating the relationship between olfactory acuity, disgust, and mating strategies. EVOL HUM BEHAV 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2020.08.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
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12
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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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13
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Infection threat shapes our social instincts. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2021; 75:47. [PMID: 33583997 PMCID: PMC7873116 DOI: 10.1007/s00265-021-02975-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2020] [Revised: 01/05/2021] [Accepted: 01/11/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
We social animals must balance the need to avoid infections with the need to interact with conspecifics. To that end we have evolved, alongside our physiological immune system, a suite of behaviors devised to deal with potentially contagious individuals. Focusing mostly on humans, the current review describes the design and biological innards of this behavioral immune system, laying out how infection threat shapes sociality and sociality shapes infection threat. The paper shows how the danger of contagion is detected and posted to the brain; how it affects individuals’ mate choice and sex life; why it strengthens ties within groups but severs those between them, leading to hostility toward anyone who looks, smells, or behaves unusually; and how it permeates the foundation of our moral and political views. This system was already in place when agriculture and animal domestication set off a massive increase in our population density, personal connections, and interaction with other species, amplifying enormously the spread of disease. Alas, pandemics such as COVID-19 not only are a disaster for public health, but, by rousing millions of behavioral immune systems, could prove a threat to harmonious cohabitation too.
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14
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Affiliation(s)
- S S Mehta-Lee
- Division of Maternal Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, New York University Langone Health, New York, NY, USA
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15
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16
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Powell PA, Jones CR, Consedine NS. It’s not queasy being green: The role of disgust in willingness-to-pay for more sustainable product alternatives. Food Qual Prefer 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.foodqual.2019.103737] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
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17
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Sarabian C, Curtis V, McMullan R. Evolution of pathogen and parasite avoidance behaviours. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2019; 373:rstb.2017.0256. [PMID: 29866923 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2017.0256] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/13/2018] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
All free-living animals are subject to intense selection pressure from parasites and pathogens resulting in behavioural adaptations that can help potential hosts to avoid falling prey to parasites. This special issue on the evolution of parasite avoidance behaviour was compiled following a Royal Society meeting in 2017. Here we have assembled contributions from a wide range of disciplines including genetics, ecology, parasitology, behavioural science, ecology, psychology and epidemiology on the disease avoidance behaviour of a wide range of species. Taking an interdisciplinary and cross-species perspective allows us to sketch out the strategies, mechanisms and consequences of parasite avoidance and to identify gaps and further questions. Parasite avoidance strategies must include avoiding parasites themselves and cues to their presence in conspecifics, heterospecifics, foods and habitat. Further, parasite avoidance behaviour can be directed at constructing parasite-retardant niches. Mechanisms of parasite avoidance behaviour are generally less well characterized, though nematodes, rodents and human studies are beginning to elucidate the genetic, hormonal and neural architecture that allows animals to recognize and respond to cues of parasite threat. While the consequences of infection are well characterized in humans, we still have much to learn about the epidemiology of parasites of other species, as well as the trade-offs that hosts make in parasite defence versus other beneficial investments like mating and foraging. Finally, in this overview we conclude that it is legitimate to use the word 'disgust' to describe parasite avoidance systems, in the same way that 'fear' is used to describe animal predator avoidance systems. Understanding disgust across species offers an excellent system for investigating the strategies, mechanisms and consequences of behaviour and could be a vital contribution towards the understanding and conservation of our planet's ecosystems.This article is part of the Theo Murphy meeting issue 'Evolution of pathogen and parasite avoidance behaviours'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cecile Sarabian
- Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, 41-2 Kanrin, Inuyama 484-8506, Japan
| | - Val Curtis
- Department of Disease Control, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London WC1E 7HT, UK
| | - Rachel McMullan
- School of Life, Health and Chemical Sciences, The Open University, Milton Keynes MK7 2AA, UK
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18
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Lenk M, Ritschel G, Abele M, Roever P, Schellong J, Joraschky P, Weidner K, Croy I. The source effect as a natural function of disgust in interpersonal context and its impairment in mental disorders. Sci Rep 2019; 9:4239. [PMID: 30862932 PMCID: PMC6414517 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-40802-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2018] [Accepted: 02/20/2019] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Disgust affects interpersonal relationships and regulates hygienic, sexual and distance behaviour. Its intensity in the interpersonal context depends on the character of the relationship. Strangers normally evoke more disgust than intimates (known as the source effect). General disgust sensitivity is increased in various mental diseases. It is unclear how disgust in the interpersonal context is affected and whether the source effect is preserved. 460 inpatients with mental disorders and 463 healthy subjects answered a newly developed Questionnaire (DIRQ) that covers disgust in the interpersonal context on content categories (hygiene, physical proximity, sexuality) and on source categories (self, partner, parent, stranger). Mental disorders were diagnosed with structured interviews. Healthy controls exhibited a pronounced source effect, with strangers evoking more disgust than intimates. In patients, this source effect was reduced (Cohen's d = 0.3), especially for sexual disgust, while general disgust sensitivity was increased (d = 0.5). High disgust in patients was best predicted by a history of sexual abuse and by the presence of post-traumatic stress disorder. In conclusion, mentally impaired patients show increased and trauma-associated disgust sensitivity. Their downregulation of sexual disgust in intimate relationships is hindered, which may have a boundary protective function but might also fuel difficulties engaging in relationships or intimacy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Lenk
- Department of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatic Medicine, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus Dresden, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany.
| | - Gerhard Ritschel
- Department of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatic Medicine, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus Dresden, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Marion Abele
- Department of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatic Medicine, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus Dresden, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Peggy Roever
- Department of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatic Medicine, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus Dresden, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Julia Schellong
- Department of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatic Medicine, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus Dresden, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Peter Joraschky
- Department of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatic Medicine, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus Dresden, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Kerstin Weidner
- Department of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatic Medicine, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus Dresden, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Ilona Croy
- Department of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatic Medicine, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus Dresden, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
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Axelsson J, Sundelin T, Lasselin J, Lekander M. How can we improve identification of contagious individuals? Factors influencing sickness detection. Proc Biol Sci 2018; 285:rspb.2018.2005. [PMID: 30355716 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2018.2005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2018] [Accepted: 10/03/2018] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- John Axelsson
- Stress Research Institute, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden .,Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Tina Sundelin
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.,Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Julie Lasselin
- Stress Research Institute, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden.,Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.,Institute of Medical Psychology and Behavioral Immunobiology, Universitätsklinikum Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Mats Lekander
- Stress Research Institute, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden.,Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
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