Evolution & Psychology: How Pathogens shaped Human Minds & Cultures

How might our more eccentric behaviours be linked to Pathogens? One area of research has investigated the psychological and behavioural defences that evolved in response to pathogens, and how the findings from this research have informed our understanding of emotions, social perception, and cultural variation. Disgust, prejudice, and conformity, which seem to be unrelated phenomena, are linked by the psychology of disease avoidance. So, when it comes to your worst behaviour, is it really you, or simply your response to the pathogens around you?

Dr Justin Park, University of Bristol