Mark Schaller: The Behavioral Immune System

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Mark Schaller: The Behavioral Immune System · 2

mk · 4915 days ago

I tend to get sick easily. Would I be more extroverted if I didn't?

I dislike the aversion I feel when I see someone with a disfigurement. Of course, it is the kind of thing that I can suppress, and it passes after just a bit of time or interaction, but I always feel guilty for feeling it at all. Some people seem to either have very little of this aversion, or they can hide it well. I have met people that react strongly to disfigurement, however, and I really feel sorry for them.

While working in retail years ago, I involuntarily flinched when a woman handed me her money with a disfigured hand. I was very underslept, and my reaction caught me by surprise. I know that she saw my reaction, and my effort to hide it. It was awful.

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thenewgreen · 4905 days ago · link ·

"One consequence is that women are more sensitive to sights and smells and tastes that trigger disgust. Another consequence is that, compared to women in later stages of pregnancy, women in their first trimester show higher levels of ethnocentrism and xenophobia". -My wife was in Peru when we found out she was pregnant. Her disdain for the food/her surroundings was unlike her. -I imagine that this played into that.

This also explains peoples irrational aversion to acne and other benign skin problems.

+discuss+discuss

Neon_Ubermensch · 4908 days ago · link ·

Fantastic article. I was disappointed with how short it was, as the material was so interesting I wanted to hear more. Imagine the shocks to social views and even the justice system that are to come as more and more science explains that who we are and what makes our personalities may not be as magical or unique as we once believed, and may not even be in our conscious control.