Previous studies have shown that women perceive male faces with a more reactive immune system as ... more Previous studies have shown that women perceive male faces with a more reactive immune system as more attractive, but whether body odor might likewise provide cues to immune function has not been investigated yet. These two studies tested a possible relationship between body odor quality and immunoreactivity (Study 1) and immune system function (Study 2). In Study 1, we collected body odor samples from 21 men just before and two weeks after vaccination against hepatitis A/B and meningococcus. We determined the levels of specific antibodies (selected as markers of immune system's reactivity), testosterone, and cortisol. Subsequently, 88 female raters assessed the odor samples for their attractiveness, intensity, and healthiness. In Study 2, we collected body odor and blood samples from 35 men and women. We assessed key parameters of their innate and adaptive immunity, such as complement activity or total lymphocyte T and B counts and asked 95 raters to assess the odor samples for their attractiveness, intensity, and healthiness. In Study 1, we found no significant association between antibody levels induced by vaccination and perceived body odor attractiveness, intensity, and healthiness. We also found no significant relationship between antibody levels and steroid hormones (testosterone and cortisol). In Study 2, we likewise found no association between basal key parameters (innate and adaptive) of the immune system and body odor quality. Our results indicate that body odor may not serve as a cue to the reactivity of the immune system.
Nasz gatunek stanąl w miejscu. Jeśli nic sie nie zmieni, dolączymy do skamienialości, takich jak ... more Nasz gatunek stanąl w miejscu. Jeśli nic sie nie zmieni, dolączymy do skamienialości, takich jak latimeria, lodzik czy jezowiec, wyglądających tak samo od...
Previous work has reported a relation between pathogen-avoidance motivations and prejudice toward... more Previous work has reported a relation between pathogen-avoidance motivations and prejudice toward various social groups, including gay men and lesbian women. It is currently unknown whether this association is present across cultures, or specific to North America. Analyses of survey data from adult heterosexuals ( N = 11,200) from 31 countries showed a small relation between pathogen disgust sensitivity (an individual-difference measure of pathogen-avoidance motivations) and measures of antigay attitudes. Analyses also showed that pathogen disgust sensitivity relates not only to antipathy toward gay men and lesbians, but also to negativity toward other groups, in particular those associated with violations of traditional sexual norms (e.g., prostitutes). These results suggest that the association between pathogen-avoidance motivations and antigay attitudes is relatively stable across cultures and is a manifestation of a more general relation between pathogen-avoidance motivations an...
The data used in Wojciech Małecki, Bogusław Pawłowski, and Piotr Sorokowski,"Literary Fictio... more The data used in Wojciech Małecki, Bogusław Pawłowski, and Piotr Sorokowski,"Literary Fiction Influences Attitudes Toward Animal Welfare," PLOS ONE 11, no. 12 (December 22, 2016)<br><b></b>
Previous studies have shown that women perceive male faces with a more reactive immune system as ... more Previous studies have shown that women perceive male faces with a more reactive immune system as more attractive, but whether body odor might likewise provide cues to immune function has not been investigated yet. These two studies tested a possible relationship between body odor quality and immunoreactivity (Study 1) and immune system function (Study 2). In Study 1, we collected body odor samples from 21 men just before and two weeks after vaccination against hepatitis A/B and meningococcus. We determined the levels of specific antibodies (selected as markers of immune system's reactivity), testosterone, and cortisol. Subsequently, 88 female raters assessed the odor samples for their attractiveness, intensity, and healthiness. In Study 2, we collected body odor and blood samples from 35 men and women. We assessed key parameters of their innate and adaptive immunity, such as complement activity or total lymphocyte T and B counts and asked 95 raters to assess the odor samples for their attractiveness, intensity, and healthiness. In Study 1, we found no significant association between antibody levels induced by vaccination and perceived body odor attractiveness, intensity, and healthiness. We also found no significant relationship between antibody levels and steroid hormones (testosterone and cortisol). In Study 2, we likewise found no association between basal key parameters (innate and adaptive) of the immune system and body odor quality. Our results indicate that body odor may not serve as a cue to the reactivity of the immune system.
Nasz gatunek stanąl w miejscu. Jeśli nic sie nie zmieni, dolączymy do skamienialości, takich jak ... more Nasz gatunek stanąl w miejscu. Jeśli nic sie nie zmieni, dolączymy do skamienialości, takich jak latimeria, lodzik czy jezowiec, wyglądających tak samo od...
Previous work has reported a relation between pathogen-avoidance motivations and prejudice toward... more Previous work has reported a relation between pathogen-avoidance motivations and prejudice toward various social groups, including gay men and lesbian women. It is currently unknown whether this association is present across cultures, or specific to North America. Analyses of survey data from adult heterosexuals ( N = 11,200) from 31 countries showed a small relation between pathogen disgust sensitivity (an individual-difference measure of pathogen-avoidance motivations) and measures of antigay attitudes. Analyses also showed that pathogen disgust sensitivity relates not only to antipathy toward gay men and lesbians, but also to negativity toward other groups, in particular those associated with violations of traditional sexual norms (e.g., prostitutes). These results suggest that the association between pathogen-avoidance motivations and antigay attitudes is relatively stable across cultures and is a manifestation of a more general relation between pathogen-avoidance motivations an...
The data used in Wojciech Małecki, Bogusław Pawłowski, and Piotr Sorokowski,"Literary Fictio... more The data used in Wojciech Małecki, Bogusław Pawłowski, and Piotr Sorokowski,"Literary Fiction Influences Attitudes Toward Animal Welfare," PLOS ONE 11, no. 12 (December 22, 2016)<br><b></b>
The power of stories to raise our concern for animals has been postulated
throughout history by c... more The power of stories to raise our concern for animals has been postulated throughout history by countless scholars, activists, and writers, including such greats as Thomas Hardy and Leo Tolstoy. This is the first book to investigate that power and explain the psychological and cultural mechanisms behind it. It does so by presenting the results of an experimental project that involved thousands of participants, texts representing various genres and national literatures, and the cooperation of an internationally acclaimed bestselling author. Combining psychological research with insights from animal studies, ecocriticism, and other fields in the environmental humanities, the book not only provides evidence that animal stories can make us care for other species, but also shows that their effects are more complex and fascinating than we have ever thought. In this way, the book makes a groundbreaking contribution to the study of relations between literature and the nonhuman world as well as to the study of how literature changes our minds and society.
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throughout history by countless scholars, activists, and writers,
including such greats as Thomas Hardy and Leo Tolstoy. This is the
first book to investigate that power and explain the psychological and
cultural mechanisms behind it. It does so by presenting the results of
an experimental project that involved thousands of participants, texts
representing
various genres and national literatures, and the cooperation
of an internationally acclaimed bestselling author. Combining psychological
research with insights from animal studies, ecocriticism, and
other fields in the environmental humanities, the book not only provides
evidence that animal stories can make us care for other species, but also
shows that their effects are more complex and fascinating than we have
ever thought. In this way, the book makes a groundbreaking contribution
to the study of relations between literature and the nonhuman world
as well as to the study of how literature changes our minds and society.