W e’ll begin with a prediction: years from now it will become obvious to observe that cross-cultural differences result substantially from regional differences in the prevalence of infectious diseases. Does that sound presumptuous? Perhaps even preposterous? Maybe. For many readers, our prediction may seem like a provocation that we’ve made up out of thin air. That’s not quite so. The scientific literature has, for years, documented cultural differences that are predicted by the prevalence of pathogens (e.g., Gangestad & Buss, 1993; low, 1990; Quinlan, 2007; Sherman & Billing, 1999). But these findings tend to fly under the radar of the vast majority of social scientists who concern themselves with culture and cultural variation. Why has there been so little attention paid to the potentially profound role that infectious diseases might play in the creation of cross-cultural differences? One reason, perhaps, is that much cultural scholarship (e.g., cultural anthropology, cultural psy...

The pathogen stress hypothesis posits that pathogen-related threats influence regional and individual differences in collectivism since behavioral practices associated with collectivism limit the spread of infectious diseases. In support of the hypothesis, previous research demonstrates the association between individualism/collectivism and pathogen stress based on historical records or experimental manipulation. However, it is still unclear whether individuals would indeed value collectivism during the outbreak of infectious diseases. Thus, we investigated the concurrent effects of pathogen-related stress on the endorsement of individualism/collectivism by examining 9322 Koreans for 14 weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic. The results revealed that the level of collectivism among respondents were higher after than before the COVID-19 outbreak. Moreover, the average level of collectivism on a given day showed a significant association with the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases on the same day during the outbreak. Interestingly, individualism did not significantly change for the same period.

People who are more avoidant of pathogens are more politically conservative, as are nations with greater parasite stress. In the current research, we test two prominent hypotheses that have been proposed as explanations for these relationships. The first, which is an intragroup account, holds that these relationships between pathogens and politics are based on motivations to adhere to local norms, which are sometimes shaped by cultural evolution to have pathogen-neutralizing properties. The second, which is an intergroup account, holds that these same relationships are based on motivations to avoid contact with outgroups, who might pose greater infectious disease threats than ingroup members. Results from a study surveying 11,501 participants across 30 nations are more consistent with the intragroup account than with the intergroup account. National parasite stress relates to traditionalism (an aspect of conservatism especially related to adherence to group norms) but not to social dominance orientation (SDO; an aspect of conservatism especially related to endorsements of intergroup barriers and negativity toward ethnic and racial outgroups). Further, individual differences in pathogen-avoidance motives (i.e., disgust sensitivity) relate more strongly to traditionalism than to SDO within the 30 nations. political ideology | pathogens | disgust | culture | evolutionary psychology

This study explores the fascinating connection between culture and societal responses to pandemics. A significant issue for public health is influencing how the broader public reacts to pandemics. The preventive actions (such as donning masks and minimizing group gatherings) that aid in mitigating the spread of pandemics have been shown to be inadequately implemented in various places during the most recent pandemic influenza, the 2009-10 H1N1 pandemic, and the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak. Regional differences in public preventive intervention were observed; owing to cultural values variables. Across the continents 209 COVID-19 pandemic-affected countries reportedly adopted standard preventive protocols for COVID-19, but the pandemic spread and onslaught showed different patterns in different countries. Humans have a natural tendency to maintain or not maintain physical distance from one another. This tendency stems from a nation's culture, which is ingrained in its national heritage and traditions. The current pandemic scenario offers a governmental and societal level opportunity to study how flexible and adaptable cultures are between pandemic responses. In this study, culture was defined using Hofstede's dimensions Individualism/Collectivism. An exploratory case-study methodology was taken after employing a post-positivist approach. The study findings indicated collectivism encourages faster and more effective COVID-19 responses and hence suggests cultural adjustments for the purpose of infectious disease preventive intervention.