
Behavioral Immune System - 80mph
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Behavioral_immune_system
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stared
I suggest looking at trypophobia here
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trypophobia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trypophobia)
(PLEASE DON'T GOOGLE THAT BEFORE YOU KNOW WHAT'S THAT).

Only in the last decade it was identified and classified as a different
reaction than fear and disgust. It is theorized that we have it to protect us
against skin parasites (pathogens, insects) - and hence the skin shivers. See
"Skin-transmitted pathogens and the heebie jeebies: evidence for a subclass of
disgust stimuli that evoke a qualitatively unique emotional response"
[https://sci-hub.tw/https://doi.org/10.1080/02699931.2016.120...](https://sci-
hub.tw/https://doi.org/10.1080/02699931.2016.1202199) for a nice overview.

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vekker
> One study found that the mere visual perception of diseased-looking people
> stimulated white blood cells to respond more aggressively to infection (as
> indicated by the production of the proinflammatory cytokine Interleukin 6 in
> response to a bacterial stimulus).

I wonder if this is also why many people perhaps showed nocebo effects
([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nocebo](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nocebo))
at the onset of the covid19 crisis & the many disturbing images (especially
from Italy) being shown in the media.

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strangetimes
I wonder if this explains why people forced to work in open plan offfices
become less sociable? It’s well documented how illnesses travel in open plans.

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alexpetralia
Very interesting theory.

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spangry
I found the xenophobia thing quite interesting : "In addition, the behavioral
immune system appears to contribute to xenophobia and ethnocentrism. One
implication is that these prejudices tend to be exaggerated under conditions
in which people feel especially vulnerable to the potential transmission of
infectious diseases."

I wonder if we'll see a rise in xenophobia, and consequent long-term shifts in
government policy, due to COVID-19?

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carlmr
>I wonder if we'll see a rise in xenophobia

I think it's already there.

[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_incidents_of_xenopho...](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_incidents_of_xenophobia_and_racism_related_to_the_2019%E2%80%9320_coronavirus_pandemic)

It is a form of innate social distancing if you will. Of course in a
globalized society this instinct is more harmful than useful.

~~~
salawat
Globalized society isn't a given; it isn't like the world doesn't work with
nations maintaining domestic manufacturing capability.

In fact, the biggest push to economically globalize was actually a strategic
move to spread influence in the Cold War era, and a means to the end of
international peacekeeping through economic interdependence.

This pandemic in particular has highlighted some of the fundamental flaws in
that model, however. Namely that if you don't have maximum commitment by all
members (to help, and to not hinder), it leads to decisions being made that
are worse for everyone globally.

For instance; Chinna may have completely shut down, and allowed western help
if they did not feel it would unduly threaten their national security; and
that they could with full faith trust that other nations would not exploit the
period of temporary weakness while the virus was in the process of being
contained.

That did not happen, nor will it likely ever. The fact is, globalization is
only touted it seems by idealists, and capital wielders looking to stretch the
buck that much further. In terms of local sociocultural security; it tends to
be a non-starter.

It's a pity really. I can understand and see both sides of the issue's
sentiments. I'll be damned if I can figure out any way to reconcile their
contentions though.

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vmchale
The wikipedia article mentions xenophobia but I think things like OCD/anorexia
would be quite interesting in this context.

~~~
Angostura
It's a slightly odd article, in that it mentions things like avoidannce of the
obese, the elderly and xenophobia, but it doesn't really talk about the
obvious things like the disgust reflex - avoiding shit, mouldy food etc.

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7373737373
This is also very interesting:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defence_mechanism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defence_mechanism)

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ak39
I wonder if this somewhat “explains” the awkward silences of strangers in
confined spaces such as elevators.

Fascinating theory.

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combatentropy
People in elevators are not more silent. The reason they're quiet is because
they're strangers, not because they're standing too close. In a more open
space, like a grocery store, strangers still aren't chatting.

Or maybe you're asking why elevators feel more awkward. It feels awkward
because the physical relationship does not match the emotional one. Also, the
stranger has an up-close view of you: any flaw in your appearance or words is
received by someone who you don't trust, don't understand. You can only guess
what they'll think. They'll likely be polite and say nothing critical, but the
thought that they might secretly think something critical is enough to hold
back most people. The concern for what strangers think is another interesting
subject in psychology.

~~~
perl4ever
You can observe a bunch of people and say, "they are not talking to each other
because they are strangers". But if you observed a randomly selected group
over a decade, you would see that some of them talk to strangers now and then,
and those are the ones that have a tremendous advantage in creating new
relationships, whereas the ones that _never_ talk to strangers might even be
handicapped/pathological.

Like, there's a huge difference between someone who, on average, consistently
starts a conversation with 1 of 1000 people they meet vs. someone who does
that with nobody. But observing people for a minute or two at a time, you
wouldn't see the difference.

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Khelavaster
Serotonin and vasopressin truly mediate the immune system in all sorts of
ways.

