Is Patriotism a Subconscious Way for Humans to Avoid Disease?
The long battle between humans and infectious microbes has left its marks all over us.
Any mutation that offered even a little protection against those pathogens had a chance to be favored by natural selection
But it is not just our bodies that have been shaped by this tug-of-war. A number of scientists now argue that the battle against disease has left an indelible imprint on our minds as well.
Scientists have discovered a wide variety of animal species that use behavioral strategies to
avoid becoming sick.
Schaller predicted that the slides about germs would trigger a rise in xenophobia. Sure enough, the subjects who watched the germ slides were inclined to spend more money to recruit immigrants from familiar countries and less money to attract people from unfamiliar ones.
Distrust of strangers or unusual-looking individuals is not something that happens in a vacuum
Perhaps the culture wars are, to some extent, parasite wars.
clipped from: discovermagazine.com 