“The recently ill display similar biases, possibly, Schaller theorizes, because their immune systems may still be run-down, so their minds compensate by ratcheting up behavioral defenses. In support of that contention, he points to a provocative study by evolutionary biologist… — Kathleen McAuliffe Copy Share Image
“Save for the ancient Egyptians, he found, virtually no one kept cats as pets until the latter part of the 1700s. The first people… — Kathleen McAuliffe Copy Share Image
“Vast populations in parasitic hot zones are without hospitals, doctors, drugs, or surgical equipment. Meanwhile, often directed at the very same underserved regions, wealthy… — Kathleen McAuliffe Copy Share Image
“Putting this all together, Moore and Reiber predicted that the germ would prod people to seek out the company of others early in the… — Kathleen McAuliffe Copy Share Image
“By enlisting the assistance of a team of neuroimmunologists, however, Schaller succeeded in conducting one of the few studies to address the question. As… — Kathleen McAuliffe Copy Share Image
“After being shown pictures of people coughing, cartoonish germs sprouting from a sponge, and similar infection-evoking images, women—the sex most vulnerable to STDs—endorsed more… — Kathleen McAuliffe Copy Share Image
“We were seated in a sparkling new building on the UBC campus with austere modern lines and sleek, minimalist décor—about as sterile a setting… — Kathleen McAuliffe Copy Share Image
“What would happen if the parasites were removed from this picture? Would there be fewer birds in the sky, more fish in the sea?… — Kathleen McAuliffe Copy Share Image
“Xenophobic propaganda can take another sinister form. Its progenitor is that favorite taunt of the playground bully: “You’ve got cooties.” Grown-up bullies are notorious… — Kathleen McAuliffe Copy Share Image
“Good looks, for example, are denoted by symmetrical features—a sign that early life development was not disrupted by infection—and skin that shows no trace… — Kathleen McAuliffe Copy Share Image
“When subjects in one of Pizarro’s studies were shown a sign recommending the use of hand wipes, he reported, they were harsher in their… — Kathleen McAuliffe Copy Share Image
“Consumers even avoid buying items placed near a product with icky connotations. Grocery shoppers, for instance, have been shown to be repelled by foods—including… — Kathleen McAuliffe Copy Share Image
“Nonetheless, studies by Schaller and other researchers indicate that people who chronically worry about disease are especially prone to antipathy toward those whose appearances… — Kathleen McAuliffe Copy Share Image
