Abstract
Humans have evolved various adaptations against pathogens, including the physiological immune system. However, not all of these adaptations are physiological: the cognitive mechanisms whereby we avoid potential sources of pathogens—for example, disgust elicited by uncleanliness—can be considered as parts of a behavioural immune system (BIS). The mechanisms of BIS extend also to inter-group relations: Pathogen cues have been shown to increase xenophobia/ethnocentrism, as people prefer to keep their societal in-group norms unaltered and “clean.” Nonetheless, little is known how pathogen cues influence people's willingness to provide humanitarian aid to out-group members. We examined how pathogen cues affected decisions of providing humanitarian aid in either instrumental (sending money) or non-instrumental form (sending personnel to help, or accepting refugees), and whether these effects were moderated by individual differences in BIS sensitivity. Data were collected in two online studies (Ns: 188 and 210). When the hypothetical humanitarian crisis involved a clear risk of infection, participants with high BIS sensitivity preferred to send money rather than personnel or to accept refugees. The results suggest that pathogen cues influence BIS-sensitive individuals' willingness to provide humanitarian aid when there is a risk of contamination to in-group members.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 1-10 |
Number of pages | 10 |
Journal | International Journal of Psychology |
Volume | 53 |
Issue number | S1 |
Early online date | 23 Feb 2017 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Oct 2018 |
Funding
ML and JP thank Kone Foundation, Emil Aaltonen Foundation and Jane and Aatos Erkko Foundation for financial support.
Funders | Funder number |
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Jane ja Aatos Erkon Säätiö | |
Emil Aaltosen Säätiö | |
Koneen Säätiö |
Keywords
- Behavioural immune system
- Individual differences
- Inter-group help
- Pathogen cues